Balmoral Boy

What gives the situation some optimism is who is doing the training. Nigel Tinkler operates out of Langton in North Yorkshire and has sent out 37 winners already this season — that is a yard in form, one that clearly knows how to place horses and get results. A trainer running at that kind of volume tends to know which of his horses has ability worth persevering with and which does not. The fact that Balmoral Boy raced just yesterday and remains in active campaigning suggests the team still believes there is a race to be won somewhere.

The improving profile of those finishes is worth noting. Going from 11th to 8th to 5th to 6th to 3rd is not a straight line upward, but the general drift is toward the sharp end of the field. If that trend continues, a first win may not be far away — though of course, five races is a small sample and plenty of young horses plateau after early improvement. For now, Balmoral Boy is one to watch rather than one to back with confidence.