The Final Brig

Trainer Mark Walford, based at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire, is no stranger to getting horses to win — his yard has sent out 35 winners already this season, which tells you this is a functioning, productive operation. The fact that The Final Brig hasn't troubled the scorer yet isn't down to a lack of competent handling. It simply hasn't found a race it can win. Most of its appearances have come at Class 4 level — the fourth tier of British racing, a long way from the glamour events, populated by horses that are decent but not elite. Even there, it has drawn a blank in all 3 of those races.

What makes the situation slightly intriguing is that The Final Brig raced just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in active campaign. Walford clearly believes there's something to find, and with 35 winners on the board this season, he's not a trainer who runs horses without purpose. Whether The Final Brig can finally reward that patience is the question — but on current evidence, punters will want to see something significantly more encouraging before getting too excited.