Between Friends

Trained by E Bolger out of Bruree in County Limerick, Between Friends operates in a yard that clearly knows what it is doing — 14 winners sent out already this season is a healthy tally that reflects a stable in good order. When a trainer is firing in winners at that rate, it adds weight to any recent success from one of their horses. This is not a fluke from a quiet yard having a lucky week.

The recent run of form tells an honest story. Reading the last six races from most recent backwards — a win, a fall or unseating, a sixth, a fifth, a second, and a twelfth — it is the kind of mixed sequence that suggests a horse still finding its feet. The placing two runs back showed ability was there; the latest win confirmed it. The question now is whether Punchestown has unlocked something, or whether this is just one good day among many ordinary ones. At one win from six races, Between Friends wins roughly one in every six outings — below average — but horses, like people, can turn a corner, and right now the timing could not be fresher.