Brash

That improvement matters. A horse finding its feet and finishing second then third in its last two outings is a completely different proposition to one that has simply been racing without purpose. Brash hasn't won yet, but the trajectory is pointing in the right direction, and with a race just yesterday, this is a horse very much in the middle of its story.

The training operation behind Brash is David and Nicola Barron, based at Maunby in North Yorkshire. Fifteen winners already on the board this season is a solid return for a yard of their size, and the fact they are running Brash regularly suggests they see room for further progress. Yards that know what they are doing tend to keep a horse busy when they believe improvement is coming — patience has limits, but so does the urge to rush a horse that is clearly getting better.