Theophilos

His recent form makes for honest reading: his last six runs have produced finishes of 5th, 6th, 6th, 14th, 4th, and 2nd, reading from oldest to most recent. The 2nd place finish is the most encouraging sign — it shows the spark is still there — but the 14th in the middle of that sequence is the kind of result that makes you wonder if something wasn't quite right on the day. He now returns from a break of around three and a half months, which could mean one of two things: either the team at Paul Midgley's yard in Westow, North Yorkshire has had time to freshen him up and plot a proper tilt at a win, or the layoff was more necessity than choice.

Midgley's yard has been in decent nick this season, sending out 37 winners, so there is clearly plenty of ability in the team to place a horse well. Theophilos has shown his best form over a mile and one furlong to a mile and two, where he has won 1 from 6 races — that's a 17% win rate at those trips, meaning he wins roughly one in every six races at his ideal distance. That is significantly better than his overall record and suggests the yard does know where he is most dangerous.

Regular partner Ben Coen has ridden him nine times for that single win, a record of 1 from 9 together. The partnership clearly knows each other, even if the scoreboard hasn't always reflected it. With a fresh set of legs, a yard in form, and a return to his preferred distance, the conditions exist for Theophilos to end a three-year wait for a winner. Whether he takes them is another matter.