Babychino

The recent run of form tells a familiar story. Six races without a win, and a string of seventh-place finishes that suggest Babychino is finding things tough at its current level. The third place in that sequence is a small bright spot — proof that on the right day, with the right run of the race, there is something there worth chasing. It raced just yesterday, so this is a horse very much in the thick of its season right now.

Jockey James Turner has been the regular partner, riding Babychino in six of its nine races together without a win to show for it. That kind of loyalty between horse and rider usually means the team believes there is more to come — you do not keep putting the same combination out there if you have given up hope. Trainer Alexander Gibbons, based at Broad Hinton in Wiltshire, has managed two winners from his yard this season. It is a modest total, which means Babychino finding its feet would make a genuinely meaningful difference to the operation.

The horse typically competes at Class 4, which sits in the middle of the racing ladder — not the very top, but not the bottom rung either. Three races at that level have not produced a win yet, and the honest truth is that Babychino will need to find some improvement to change that pattern. Still, at four years old there is time. Some horses take a while to figure it all out, and the team clearly has not lost faith. The next run will be worth watching.