Stormy Music

What does offer genuine encouragement is where Stormy Music is stabled. Andrew Balding's operation at Kingsclere in Hampshire is one of the most productive yards in the country right now, having sent out 202 winners already this season — a number that puts them firmly among the elite training outfits in Britain. When a yard is firing at that kind of volume, horses in the string tend to get placed in races that suit them, and the yard have the patience and quality around them to let a slower developer find its feet. Stormy Music raced just yesterday, so clearly the team still see enough to keep running.

Whether the penny drops soon is the open question. The form figures don't flatter, but three races is a small sample for a three-year-old, and plenty of horses have taken time before finding their level. With Balding's record behind it, Stormy Music is at least learning in the right hands.