Baltray

His trainer, Emma Lavelle, runs a busy and well-respected yard in Ogbourne Maizey in Wiltshire — 47 winners already on the board this season, which is a serious tally. When Baltray first arrived from Ireland, Lavelle noted he was carrying too little weight and needed time to develop before he could really show what he was capable of. That patience paid off when he ran a promising debut over hurdles at Fontwell, and he did not need to improve much on that to win at Hereford shortly afterwards. Lavelle has also suggested he is the kind of horse who wants a bit of cut in the ground — meaning he is better suited to wet or soft conditions than fast, dry going — and that jumping fences rather than hurdles is likely his future.

Most of his racing has come in Class 4 company, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder — not the prestige events, but not the very bottom either. He has won just 1 of his 11 races at that level, a 9% win rate. His recent form reads sixth, third, fifth, fifth, then second on the latest evidence, so he is knocking on the door without quite pushing it open. He raced just one day ago, which means he is very much a horse in active training with more chances ahead. Whether he can finally add a second win to his record — ideally on a soft, testing day somewhere — is the question his team will be hoping to answer soon.