Backer Bilk

What's telling is that Backer Bilk hasn't won since that one success at Lingfield 18 months ago. The most recent six races show the pattern: an eighth, sixth, third, eighth, fifth and third. There are flashes of form — a couple of thirds in there suggest the horse is capable of running into the places — but the wins have dried up. Still, the horse is active and racing regularly, which points to a yard that believes there is more to come.

Trained by Luke Dace in Billingshurst, West Sussex, Backer Bilk performs best when stepped up to a mile and three furlongs or a mile and four furlongs. Over that distance, the record stands at 1 win from 5 races — a 20% win rate, which is double the overall average. It's a reminder that distance matters, and this horse seems to settle into its work when given a bit more ground. At Class 6 level, where most of these races have taken place, the horse has won 1 of 7 — a 14% win rate at that standard.

For a horse that has been racing for some time without adding to the tally, Backer Bilk remains part of a yard sending regular winners into the ring. Whether the horse can find another winning day — perhaps back at Lingfield, where it clearly knows the way — remains the question that keeps it in work.