Ballynoe Boy

The real story in his recent form is inconsistency. His last six outings read 1-4-7-3-4-8, which shows he can place occasionally but struggles to string together performances that would mark him out as a serious contender. He's won roughly 1 in every 10 races he enters, a win rate that suggests he is useful enough to have his moments but not reliable enough to be a banker on a racing card. Where Class 5 races are involved — the lower grades where lesser lights compete — Ballynoe Boy has managed nothing from four attempts, which tells you something about the level he meets there.

Danny McMenamin has been his regular jockey for six runs and hasn't managed a winner aboard him yet, though that partnership finally clicked this week at Market Rasen. Nicky Richards, his trainer, runs a competitive yard that has already sent out 39 winners this season, so the infrastructure is sound. Ballynoe Boy is very much a horse built for picking winners after watching for a run or two — the type that pays for a day out when it all comes together, rather than the one you plan your afternoon around.