Synchronize

The recent form paints a mixed picture. A second place in the last six runs is the obvious highlight, sandwiched between a fourth and a sixth, and that is genuinely encouraging — finishing second means the horse was beaten by just one rival on that occasion, which tells you the ability is somewhere in there. But a tenth-place finish also lurks in that sequence, a reminder that Synchronize can be frustratingly inconsistent. The horse raced just yesterday, so whatever is happening with this campaign, it is very much ongoing.

Shane Fitzgerald has been the regular partner, riding Synchronize in six of those races without finding the winner's podium once. At Class 4 level — a middling tier of competition, not the very bottom but nowhere near the top — the record reads zero wins from three attempts. That is the level where you would hope a horse like this might eventually find its moment, but so far it hasn't clicked. The question the yard will be asking is whether there is a race out there, on the right day, in the right conditions, where everything finally comes together. Nineteen races is a long time to be searching for an answer.