Bradbury

What makes the picture more interesting is the direction of travel. Reading the last six runs from most recent backwards — second, second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth — this horse has been improving steadily and quite sharply. Not long ago it was finishing near the back of the field; now it is finishing right at the front of it. That kind of improvement in a young horse is exactly what a trainer wants to see, and it suggests a win could be coming sooner rather than later.

The yard behind Bradbury is worth paying attention to. Edward Bethell trains out of Middleham in North Yorkshire, and his team has sent out 62 winners already this season — that is a yard firing on all cylinders. When an in-form stable has a horse improving as quickly as Bradbury has been, it tends to be only a matter of time before the pieces fall into place.

Bradbury has done most of its racing at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle tier of British racing — not the glamour end, but a competitive, honest grade where most horses spend the bulk of their careers. Three races at that level without a win is not alarming for a three-year-old still finding its feet, especially one that appears to be improving with every outing. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is as current as form gets.