Home Made Hero

What followed that Uttoxeter win, though, tells its own story. Sent out quickly for a follow-up at Leicester, Home Made Hero found himself chasing a rival trained by Charlie Longsdon called Swindon Village, and the effort of that battle took a heavy toll. The ground was holding and wet, which may not have suited him, and he finished the race exhausted — falling badly at the end and taking some time to get back on his feet. Bailey admits he still doesn't know whether it was the wet ground, the quick turnaround, or simply asking too much too soon. What he does know is that the horse is not the most robust, and pushing him when he wasn't ready had consequences.

The good news is that Home Made Hero has had a decent break since that difficult Leicester run, and Bailey's Cheltenham yard — which has sent out 31 winners already this season — is clearly operating with confidence. Bailey was clear that the Leicester run was not a true reflection of the horse, and there's real optimism that what we saw at Uttoxeter is closer to the mark. With a race recorded just one day ago, he's back in action and the team will be hoping the rest has done its job. The horse is young enough, talented enough by the look of that debut win, and in a yard form enough that writing him off based on one rough afternoon would be a mistake.