Belling The Cat

That said, there are small signs of life in there. A second place is not nothing — it means the horse has at least found itself competitive on one occasion, close enough to the winner to suggest the ability is somewhere in the mix. The question is whether Tony Coyle and Kaine Wood, who train out of Norton in North Yorkshire, can find the right race to unlock it. The yard has been in decent form this season, sending out 12 winners, so they clearly know how to place a horse to its best advantage.

Belling The Cat raced just one day ago, so this is very much a horse in the thick of its campaign right now. At three years old, there is still time for things to click — some horses simply take a while to figure out what racing is actually about. But with no wins from eight attempts, the clock is ticking on what has so far been a tough introduction to the sport.