Astabuen is a two-year-old with a single race under its belt, finishing third on its debut just yesterday. The horse is trained by
Ed Walker, who runs a successful yard at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire—his team has already sent out 76 winners this season, so there is genuine talent in the operation. For a horse this young making its first appearance, a third-place finish suggests it has shown enough promise to merit another run, particularly given the strength of Walker's record. There is little to judge yet, but the immediate plan will be to see how Astabuen progresses with experience. Young horses often improve dramatically between their first and second races as they settle to racing and learn what is being asked of them, so the real measure of this one will come in the weeks ahead.