Barry The Worm

It has been nine months since that Wolverhampton victory, and recent form has been frustrating. In his last six races he has not troubled the winner once, finishing as far back as tenth just before returning to the track yesterday. The wins and places do come — he has picked up two places from his dozen races — but the pattern is clear: his good days are rare, and when he runs on his worst days, he runs very badly. Edward Smyth-Osbourne's Upper Lambourn yard has had a decent season with eight winners, so Barry the Worm is not without competent handling. Still, at this stage of his career, the evidence suggests he is a horse that needs exactly the right race and the right set of circumstances to perform. He is the kind of runner you would not rule out completely in a Class 6 race, but neither would you bank on him.