Tamzan

There are some mild reasons for encouragement buried in that record. The two most recent runs produced a third and a second, which at least suggests Tamzan is heading in the right direction, even if the gap between placing and winning has yet to be bridged. Two-year-olds can develop quickly, and a horse finishing second in its penultimate race is a horse that nearly got there — which is a very different story from one that is consistently trailing in fourth or fifth.

What adds an extra layer of intrigue is the gap since we last saw Tamzan run — roughly four months off the track. That kind of break at this stage of a young horse's career can mean all sorts of things, but it also means the yard have had time to work on whatever wasn't clicking. Tregoning's yard has sent out four winners this season, so there is form in the camp. Whether Tamzan returns as the finished article or needs another run to find its rhythm, the comeback race will tell us a lot about where this horse is really headed.