Torbados

Charles Hills trains Torbados at his Lambourn yard, a stable that has already sent out 29 winners this season, so the horse sits in capable hands. Hills is a trainer accustomed to getting horses in the winner's circle. The challenge with Torbados so far has been at Class 5 level—the lower rungs of British racing—where it has managed four races without a win. This is the sort of record that will eventually need to turn if the horse is to justify the investment in time and money. The recent form suggests the engine is there: finished fourth, then second, then fourth again across three of the last six outings. Those are respectable efforts. But in a young horse's career, placings only paper over the cracks for so long. Torbados will need to convert one of these near-misses into a victory soon, or the questions about its true level will only grow louder.