Ziggy's Avenger

The overall record — one win and two places from six races, which works out at winning roughly 1 in every 6 outings — is modest on paper, but the recent form is what catches the eye. The last three runs read 5th, 1st, and 3rd, a sequence that shows real progression after two difficult outings earlier in the season when the horse finished 8th, 10th, and 8th. Something clearly clicked in the spring, and the Ripon win suggests that improvement is genuine rather than a fluke.

Behind the scenes, Ziggy's Avenger is trained by Michael Bell at Newmarket, one of the sport's great training centres in Suffolk. Bell's yard has sent out 44 winners already this season, which tells you this is a professional, well-resourced operation that knows how to place a horse to best effect. Getting a horse like this to win is part of a larger, well-practised machine — and that matters, because good trainers tend to find the right opportunities at the right time.

Whether Ziggy's Avenger can build on this is the interesting question. The horse is only three, which means there is every reason to think there is more improvement to come. Young horses often take time to mature and understand what is being asked of them, and the upturn in form over the last three races looks like exactly that kind of development. Racegoers and followers worth watching in the weeks ahead.