Salisbury

Seventh and eighth in both its races so far, beaten by a comfortable margin each time — but the most eye-catching thing about this horse today is the jockey, Daniel Muscutt, who has been in superb form with five wins from 18 rides in the last two weeks, the best recent record of any rider in this field. This horse also races in a tongue strap for the first time, a piece of equipment used to help breathing, which can occasionally unlock improvement. Trainer James Fanshawe is a serious Newmarket operation, but the form book gives little reason for confidence.

A first-time racer with no form to judge, so pedigree is all we have — the sire Ulysses was a top-level middle-distance winner, which at least suits today's trip of a mile and two furlongs. Notably, this horse lines up in blinkers on debut, a piece of headgear designed to sharpen focus, which suggests the yard may have found it needs a little encouragement to concentrate. The trainer hasn't had a winner in the last two weeks, and the jockey has had just one ride in the same period.

Two races in, and Easwrith Destiny has finished fifth and ninth — beaten well on both occasions and yet to show anything close to a threat to the leaders. Like most of this field, it has never raced on wet ground before, which adds further uncertainty. At odds of 71, the market is telling a clear story.

The longest absence in the field — this horse hasn't raced in nearly seven months, and its two previous outings ended in tenth and seventh place with sizeable gaps to the winner. The trainer hasn't won a race in the last two weeks, and the jockey-trainer partnership has yet to find the winner's enclosure together across 12 attempts. Hard to make a case for it on current evidence.

Finishing ninth and twenty-fifth in its two races, Long Reign has the most discouraging recent form in the entire field — beaten over 52 lengths in its last outing at Newbury. The jockey-trainer combination hasn't produced a winner in four attempts together. At joint-longest odds in the race, the market reflects the size of the task.

Two races, no wins, no places, and finishes of twenty-third and ninth — the form profile is hard to look at positively. This is also the first time this jockey-trainer combination have worked together, so there's no established partnership to lean on. At 201, it shares the longest odds in the race alongside two other outsiders.