Ballyvango

Looking at his recent form before that long absence, Ballyvango showed genuine promise. In his last six races he finished second twice and third once, alongside a sixth and a seventh, suggesting he was building towards something. That breakthrough victory at Catterick proved it was coming — he had been knocking on the door, and when the opening came, he went through it. Since then, however, nothing. Thirteen months is an eternity in racing, and at six years old, time away from the track is not kind to any horse.

Trainer Martin Keighley runs a yard at Luckley in Gloucestershire that is sending out consistent winners — 20 this season alone — so the infrastructure and expertise are clearly there to get Ballyvango back to winning form. The key now is whether the horse has retained his appetite and his sharpness. His overall record of 1 win and 4 top-3 finishes from 7 races is modest, but the fact that he wins roughly 1 in every 4 times when pitched into Class 4 races suggests he belongs at that level. If he can stay sound and shake off the cobwebs from his long break, he has every chance of becoming a regular winner again.