The question of which horse to back is determined by whether each can survive the race before the set date of May 2018. Militia units, the newest bloc in town, are scoring highly as is former premier Nouri al Maliki, backed by the same donor.
With only pockets of Islamic State fighters remaining, new shifts and strategies are taking over and shaking up the political theatre and its fellow actors.
Six months before the race draws to an end, current prime minister Haidar al Abadi is coming in last, having failed to purge institutions of the state from corruption.