Bits Ballou
Bits Ballou broke her duck this week, finally getting her head in front after five attempts. The five-year-old managed a win at Newton Abbot on 28 September, and given her recent form—a third, two fourths, a sixth, and an eighth in her last six races—that first success feels like overdue reward for persistence. She's not lighting up the record books yet: one win from six races means she's winning roughly once every six times out, but for a horse still learning the game, there's a shape forming.Based on TrackLab's analysis
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
The real clue to Bits Ballou's future lies in her preferred distance. Over the longer trips—two miles and beyond—she's won one from four races, a 25 percent return that's significantly better than her overall record suggests. She seems to come into her own when the race stretches out, which at least points to a horse with some bottom to her. That debut win came at Newton Abbot, a track that clearly suited him, and his trainer Nigel & Willy Twiston-Davies—a powerful yard that's already sent out 62 winners this season from Naunton in Gloucestershire—will know exactly where to run him next. For a young horse finally off the mark, momentum matters, and Bits Ballou has both a pathway and a yard capable of capitalizing on it.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Well suited by Long Distance (2m+) distances: 25% win rate
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Good (a little give)
Likes
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Unknown
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Loves
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, tight turns
Loves
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
28 Sep
🏆 Won
Newton Abbot
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 7 runners
12 Jul
3rd
Stratford-on-Avon
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Firm · 8 runners
12 Jun
2nd
Newton Abbot
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 6 runners
10 May
4th
Ludlow
1m6f – 2m · Good · 7 runners
14 Apr
6th
Newton Abbot
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 10 runners
19 Mar
8th
Ludlow
1m6f – 2m · Good · 12 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Newton Abbot Sharp |
3 |
1 win, 1 second, 1 other |
28 Sep |
33.3% |
| Ludlow Undulating |
2 |
2 other |
10 May |
0% |
| Stratford-on-Avon Sharp |
1 |
1 third |
12 Jul |
0% |