The overall record reads one win and three places from ten races, a win rate of around one in ten, but the recent form tells a more encouraging story. Looking at his last six outings, he has finished first and second among them, with that Fontwell win the obvious highlight. He raced just yesterday, which tells you this is a horse in active, consistent work rather than one being nursed along carefully.
Anthony Honeyball trains him out of Mosterton in Dorset, and this is a yard firing on all cylinders right now — 51 winners already this season, which is a serious output for a stable of this size. The fact that Ballyfinn has taken a while to reach the winner's enclosure is no reflection on the operation around him; some horses just take time to find their moment. What is interesting is the early pedigree of promise: Honeyball has noted that when Ballyfinn finished second in a point-to-point, the horse that beat him — Bective Abbey — was subsequently bought by the legendary trainer Nicky Henderson for £150,000. The horse that finished third that day also ran well at the highest level. That is the kind of formline that suggests Ballyfinn entered his racing career with something to prove.
Rex Dingle has been in the saddle for seven of his ten races without managing a win together, which makes it all the more notable that Ballyfinn finally broke his duck at Fontwell. The track clearly suits him — and with his best racing potentially still ahead at eight years old, it would be no surprise to see him return there and build on what now looks like a genuine turning point.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontwell Park Tight |
3 | 1 win, 1 second, 1 other | 14 May | 33.3% |
| Plumpton Sharp |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 5 Apr | 0% |
| Taunton Undulating |
2 | 2 other | 30 Dec | 0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 24 Mar | 0% |
| hereford | 1 | 1 other | 18 Mar | 0% |