Ballintubber Boy

What makes him genuinely interesting is Huntingdon. At that track, Ballintubber Boy is a force: three wins from four attempts, a win rate that marks him as a genuine course specialist. That is the kind of record that builds into genuine leverage — a horse that the yard know will give them their best chance at a particular venue. He was last there over a year ago, so there is something to work with if the Naunton yard decides to return him to a track that suits him.

In the saddle, Sam Twiston-Davies — one half of the training partnership alongside his father Nigel — has ridden the horse 15 times and won 6 of those races, a 40 percent win rate when the two are paired. That is the kind of chemistry that suggests both jockey and horse understand each other. The yard itself is in decent form this season, having sent out 62 winners, so there is momentum in the operation. At nine years old, Ballintubber Boy is not finished, but he needs to find his way back to the track where he belongs.