Big John Wayne

The recent form is the thing that catches the eye. Reading the last six runs from most recent backwards — 2-1-3-5-–-2 — you can see a horse that has been in and around the action for most of its races. Second, then a win, then third, a rare off-day in fifth, a gap, then second again before that. That is the kind of form that suggests a horse in decent nick, not one scraping around at the bottom. The win at Hexham was the breakthrough, and it came just four weeks ago, so Big John Wayne heads into its next race on the back of a recent peak rather than faded glory.

The training operation behind the horse is worth noting. Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore, based at Milnathort in Perth and Kinross, have sent out 49 winners this season — a yard clearly firing on all cylinders. When horses come from a team running hot like that, it adds a layer of confidence that the horse is being prepared well and placed in races where it can do itself justice. Big John Wayne raced just one day ago, so the yard will know exactly where they stand with the horse heading into whatever comes next.

At eight years old, there is no pretending this is a young prospect with everything ahead of it. But horses of this age with recent form like this are often at their most reliable — they know their job, they handle the pressure of competition, and when they find their level, they can be genuinely hard to beat. Big John Wayne has found something in recent weeks. The question is whether it can keep hold of it.