Vince L'Amour

There is a clear pattern to how he runs best. Put him on wet or muddy ground and his chances improve dramatically — he has won 2 of his 7 races in those conditions, a win rate of nearly 3 in every 10, which stands well above his overall record. On standard or faster ground, he has managed just 3 wins from 40 races. It is the kind of detail that matters to his trainer Tim Easterby at Great Habton in North Yorkshire, a yard that has been in excellent form this season with 128 winners to its name. The jockey David Allan, who rides him most often, has won 3 times from 21 races aboard him — a better return than the horse's overall figures suggest, though still a modest one.

At Class 4 level, where Vince L'Amour typically races, he has managed just 1 win from 11 attempts, which tells you he is operating near the limit of his ability. The horse remains active and in work, but his long absence from the winners' enclosure suggests the campaign has become a slog. He is a horse worth watching when the ground turns soft, and a fresh opportunity might help him rediscover the form that brought him success at Ripon.