Bai Tong

What gives the picture more colour is who is doing the training. K R Burke, based at Coverham in North Yorkshire, is one of the sharpest operators in British racing, and this season the yard has sent out 140 winners — a number that puts them firmly among the busiest and most successful operations in the country. When a trainer is firing in winners at that kind of volume, the horses in their care tend to get every chance to show what they can do. Bai Tong raced just yesterday, so this is very much a story still being written.

At two years old, no wins from three races is far from a disaster — plenty of horses take time to put it all together, and a placed effort shows the ability is there somewhere. The key question now is whether the yard can find a race that suits and unlock what that second-place finish hinted at.