Bond Broker

Trained by Paul Nicholls at Ditcheat in Somerset — one of the most successful yards in British racing, having sent out 92 winners already this season — Bond Broker sits comfortably in the middle tier of the sport at Class 4. That's not the glamour end of the game, but it's a solid, competitive level, and he has won 3 of his 9 races there, a rate of 1 in 3. He knows exactly what he's doing at that level, and more importantly, he wins there.

His most frequent jockey is Harry Cobden, who has ridden him in half his career races. Their record together — 1 win from 6 outings — might sound modest, but Bond Broker's recent performances suggest the partnership is still developing. Jockey Freddie Gingell, who rode him at Sedgefield, put it simply: he found Bond Broker straightforward and said the horse is growing up all the time. That's a telling observation. A horse that is still maturing at seven, while already winning races, is one that could yet have more to give.

Nicholls himself has been candid about one trait that needs managing: Bond Broker can get a bit wound up before a race, and when he has, it has cost him over longer distances. His chasing debut saw him run too keen and not last the journey. The response was to drop him back in trip, and that tactical adjustment appears to have worked. His recent form — finishing second, second, fourth, second, first, then third in his last six races — tells the story of a horse racing within himself, placed more often than not, and picking his moments to win. That kind of consistency is harder to achieve than it looks.