Choose an idiom to replace the expression in the brackets: I knew that our company was (supporting someone who could not win) but still we continued to support our candidate in the election.

'Backing the wrong horse' is an idiom that means supporting someone or something that cannot win or succeed. It originates from betting on horse racing where you would lose money if you bet on the losing horse. Distractors: 'killing the fatted calf' means celebrating lavishly, 'making a silk purse out of a sow's ear' means trying to make something good from bad material, and 'separating the sheep from the goats' means distinguishing good from bad.