Barbury Boy

The trainer Alan King, based at Wroughton in Wiltshire, clearly sees something worth developing. King's yard has already sent out 57 winners this season, so Barbury Boy sits among a stable of horses King thinks can run. The real clue to the horse's potential lies in his distance preference. Over races between a mile and three furlongs and a mile and four furlongs, Barbury Boy has won one of three attempts — a 33 per cent win rate at that exact trip. That suggests a horse who knows where his sweet spot is, even if he has not quite figured out how to access it consistently. At those distances, the horse is genuinely competitive. Everywhere else, he is merely trying.

Two wins from nine races across the season works out as roughly one in every five races, which is respectable for a young horse still learning. His recent record — two wins in his last six outings — shows he is in the right frame of mind right now. The question is whether King can find the right race, at the right track, at the right distance, and catch him in form. Barbury Boy raced just yesterday, so he is active and being aimed at something. He may not be the finished article, but he is no also-ran either.