Beau Speed

The Nicholls yard at Ditcheat in Somerset is one of the most formidable operations in British racing — 93 winners already this season is the kind of number that puts most trainers to shame, and it means Beau Speed is learning its trade in seriously professional hands. When a yard of that calibre keeps running a horse that hasn't won yet, it's usually because they can see something worth being patient about. Nicholls doesn't fill his roster with passengers.

What's most interesting here is the trajectory. The most recent run was a second place — an improvement on the third before it. That's a small sample, but the direction of travel is the right one. Whether Beau Speed can turn that placed consistency into an actual win is the question, and given it is still racing actively, the answer may not be far away.