Brigid's Well

Hugo Palmer's yard at Malpas has sent out 67 winners this season, so the trainer knows how to get horses to the line. Palmer sees potential where the record does not yet deliver it, describing Brigid's Well as a lovely-looking filly who might be suited to an Oaks trial — one of the most prestigious races for three-year-old horses — in the spring. That is the kind of assessment trainers do not make lightly. When she did win at Thirsk, jockey Jason Hart noted that she used her experience well and had a good attitude, hinting that Palmer's young horses often improve markedly once they have a race or two under their belt.

At this point, Brigid's Well remains a horse with just one win from ten races and no victories in over a year. The question is whether she is a late bloomer about to click into gear, or simply a horse of modest ability whose one good day at Thirsk remains her high-water mark. Palmer clearly believes in the former. Whether she can prove her right in the months ahead will determine whether she ever becomes more than a footnote.