Ballybrittas

What is interesting about Ballybrittas is his clear preference for normal ground conditions. On the fast, dry surface he loves, he has won two of his four races — a 50% win rate that stands out sharply against his overall record. Put him on wet or muddy ground, or on anything quicker than standard, and his form flattens. He is trained by P J Rothwell's yard at Tinahely in County Wicklow, a stable sending out winners at a healthy clip this season.

The recent form tells a sobering story. Across his last six races, he has not strung together any kind of momentum — a win, a fifth, a fourth, a seventh, a tenth, and a ninth. That pattern of drifting backwards through the field suggests he has been finding decent races hard to win. Most tellingly, his usual jockey Tiernan Power Roche has drawn a blank from five rides together, a partnership that has failed to click. With Ballybrittas back in the winners' circle after such a long drought, the key for the yard will be to keep him on good ground and find the right race fit. He is not a superstar, but he has shown enough to suggest another win is not beyond him if the conditions and the competition line up properly.