Ballybunion

The recent form tells an interesting story. Two consecutive second-place finishes in its second and third races showed real consistency, suggesting Ballybunion had found its feet and was knocking on the door. But those encouraging efforts were sandwiched by a 13th on debut and a 7th most recently, which adds a note of unpredictability. It raced just yesterday, so the yard — sorry, the team — will be digesting that latest run carefully before deciding what comes next.

At least Ballybunion has the right support structure around it. Michael Bell's Newmarket operation has been in fine form this season, sending out 45 winners — that's a yard running hot, and horses in form stables tend to benefit from the momentum and confidence around them. Bell is an experienced hand who knows how to place a horse patiently, and Ballybunion's back-to-back placed efforts earlier in the season suggest someone has been thinking carefully about where to run it.

At 3 years old, there is still time. Many horses take a handful of races just to figure out what is being asked of them, and two places from four runs is not a bad foundation. The question now is whether that recent 7th is a blip or a sign that the horse needs a different approach. With a busy yard behind it and a trainer who knows Newmarket's unique demands better than most, Ballybunion's first