It's A Breeze

Paul Nicholls is one of the most successful trainers in Britain, and his yard in Ditcheat, Somerset has sent out 92 winners already this season alone, so when he talks up a horse that has never won, it is worth paying attention. Nicholls has said publicly that It's A Breeze has simply been slow to grow up — a backward individual, in his words, who has just needed time to mature. The trainer believes the signs of that maturity are now starting to show, and crucially, he thinks the horse is well placed in the weights, meaning he could be competitive if things come together.

The recent form supports a cautious sense of optimism. Stripping out the two blank runs at the start of that six-race sequence, there is a second place in there — a placed finish that suggests he is getting closer without quite managing to land the blow. He has not finished in the top three in his last two outings, but Nicholls is not a trainer who talks up horses without reason, and the pattern of a young horse finding its feet mid-season is one racing followers will recognise.

Jay Tidball has partnered It's A Breeze five times without a win between them, but partnerships like this often take time to click, and with the horse apparently on an upward curve, their next appearance together could be different. Racing at Class 4 level — the middle tier of the sport, competitive but not the very top — It's A Breeze has raced at the right standard for a horse of his ability. If Nicholls is right and the penny has finally dropped, a horse that has never won in 12 attempts suddenly looks like one to watch rather than one to dismiss. Zero from twelve sounds bleak. But in racing, timing is everything, and this one's trainer thinks the clock is just about to start.