Zolpharine

His last two wins arrived within the past few months, most notably at Tramore in late May. That victory came three months ago, and it suggests he may have found a level where he can compete. His recent form chart reads like a struggling horse gradually clawing back: a thirteenth-place finish, a fourth, a first-place win, another fourth, a fifth, and an eleventh just yesterday. So he is mixing decent efforts with poor outings — genuinely inconsistent, but not entirely hopeless. Over his last six races, he has won twice, which is a marked improvement on his career average.

John Patrick Ryan's yard at Templemore has been productive this season, sending out 21 winners, so Zolpharine is part of a relatively busy operation. Harry Sexton has ridden him ten times without a victory, which may or may not matter; sometimes a horse simply goes better with a different rider's hands and tactics. Where Zolpharine does show a genuine preference is on slightly soft, muddy ground. He has won 2 of his 9 races on such conditions — a respectable 22% win rate on that surface, compared to his meagre 6% overall. That is a meaningful detail for anyone watching his next few entries. If the ground softens and he lines up in a race within his reach, he becomes a considerably more interesting proposition than his headline figures suggest.