Labiche

The recent form figures of 3-10-8-4 read in reverse order — so that fourth place came first, followed by an eighth, a tenth, and most recently a third. That third is the one to hold onto. Finishing third in the most recent race, just one day ago, suggests Labiche is coming to something of a peak right now, even if the winner was still too good on the day.

The horse is trained by Henry Candy at Kingston Warren in Oxfordshire, a yard that has sent out 9 winners already this season — so this is clearly a stable that knows how to get a horse across the line. The fact that Labiche hasn't won yet isn't for lack of professional support. Sometimes it just takes a horse a little time to find the right opportunity, and with a trainer in form and a horse that just ran its best race, the pieces are at least pointing in a more encouraging direction than they were a month ago.

At 3 years old, Labiche has plenty of time on its side. Some horses take half a season just to figure out what racing is actually about, and a string of modest finishes early on means very little if the trajectory is pointing upward. That third place, fresh off the back of two poor runs, is exactly the kind of bounce-back that keeps the yard — the trainer and the team around the horse — optimistic. The next race will tell a lot.