Riddikulus

The recent form tells an interesting story. Those back-to-back sixth-place finishes earlier in the season looked discouraging, but Riddikulus has been creeping forward ever since — fourth, fourth, fourth, and then a win. That kind of gradual progression is exactly what you hope to see from a young horse still learning the job. It is not a sudden flash of form out of nowhere; it looks more like a horse that has been quietly improving and finally got its reward.

Grant Tuer, who trains the horse from his yard in Birkby, North Yorkshire, has had a productive season — 29 winners already, which is a solid return and suggests a yard in decent form. One thing worth noting is that Riddikulus has raced three times at Class 5 level, which represents the lower end of the racing ladder, without winning before this week. The fact that the win came at Ripon, a track in Tuer's own backyard, may be no coincidence — trainers often know which courses suit their horses best, and getting a horse to a track where it can be confident can make all the difference.

With the horse having raced just one day ago, it is clearly still very much in training and in the middle of a campaign. Whether this win is the start of something or a one-off peak is the question now — but at three years old, with form that has been quietly strengthening for several weeks, Riddikulus at least looks like a horse heading in the right direction.