Yes Day

The pattern of his recent form tells a story of a horse capable of finishing in the money but struggling to go that final step. In his last six runs, he has finished fourth, second, third, second, fourth and eighth — he's in the placings, he's competitive, but the wins aren't coming. His main rider, Jonjo O'Neill Jr, has won just once from 16 races aboard him, a 6 per cent return that suggests the partnership hasn't quite clicked. His trainer, Jonjo & A.J. O'Neill, operates from Cheltenham and had sent out 51 winners this season, so the yard clearly knows how to get horses home, but Yes Day remains a puzzle.

The trainer has hinted at the problem and the solution. Yes Day fell four from home when he returned at Ludlow, a race the trainer believes he would have won, and was "tapped for speed" — pushed harder than ideal — last time out at Wetherby. The yard has a specific plan for him: regional nationals on ground that suits him. When conditions are right and the race fits, Yes Day has shown he can win. The challenge now is getting him back there, because without a victory since March, momentum matters as much as talent.