Spirit Of Albion

That recent form tells its own story. The last six results read 8-6-7-11-2-3, which shows a horse that has been finding its feet at the wrong end of the field before finishing second and third in back-to-back efforts. Those placed runs suggest there is ability here, but converting that into a win has proved elusive. Most of Spirit Of Albion's racing has come at Class 4 level — solid, competitive midfield racing, not the top tier but far from a soft touch either — and the record there reads 0 wins from 5 races, which means it has been competitive without breaking through at the level it most often faces.

The horse is trained by Michael Appleby at his yard in Oakham, Rutland, and it is worth noting that Appleby is in good form this season — 79 winners sent out suggests a busy, productive operation that clearly knows how to get horses ready to win. Spirit Of Albion raced just one day ago, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its campaign right now. Whether that recent run of placed efforts is building towards something, or whether the gap between promising and delivering will remain, is the question worth watching.