Betsen

The real puzzle is recent form. Betsen raced just yesterday and came home ninth, which follows a mixed spell: a third-place finish, then a fifth, an eighth, and a win before that. It is the kind of inconsistency that would drive an owner to distraction. The last victory came at Chepstow back in May, four months ago now, so Betsen has had to work hard for its place in the yard's plans since then. That said, the Chepstow win was significant — a proper race — and the Class 2 success at Southwell in late November proved the horse could still get the job done at a decent level when it clicked.

James Ryan has partnered Betsen eight times without a win, a partnership that plainly hasn't clicked. The trainer, Tony Carroll, runs a productive yard at Cropthorne in Worcestershire and has sent out 136 winners this season alone, so Betsen is not a horse forgotten in a quiet corner. It is a solid, mid-tier animal doing what mid-tier animals do: showing flashes of genuine form mixed with the kinds of days when nothing comes together. With a win in the last six months and another Class 2 success under its belt, Betsen has proved it belongs in competitive company — the challenge now is doing it more often than once in a blue moon.