In The Black

The horse is trained by G R Oldroyd, based at Pocklington in North Yorkshire, a yard that has sent out 13 winners already this season. At two years old, In The Black has raced just three times, which is still early days. The gap between that Carlisle win and yesterday's return suggests the horse was either being brought along carefully or had an injury layoff — but what matters now is that it is back in action and competing. With one win from three races, it is winning roughly one in every three times it runs, which at this young stage could be promising or simply the result of limited racing. The real question will be whether that Carlisle form was a genuine breakthrough or a false dawn. Yesterday's performance gives the team something to build from, even if the recent form has been patchy.