Zelaina

That Nottingham win is the one bright spot on the record, and it matters. Breaking through for a first career win is never guaranteed — plenty of horses run dozens of times and never manage it — so Zelaina has at least shown it can cross the line in front. The question now is whether it can do so again, because thirteen months have passed since that day, and the results since have been discouraging.

What works in Zelaina's favour is the yard behind it. K R Burke, based at Coverham in North Yorkshire, is one of the more productive operations in British racing right now — 145 winners sent out this season alone is a serious number, the kind that tells you this is a team that knows how to get horses ready to run and win. If anyone can find the right race to get Zelaina back into the winner's enclosure, it is a trainer firing at that rate. Having raced just yesterday, Zelaina is clearly in an active campaign, which suggests the team believes there is more to come.