Balmacara

What makes the Doncaster story so striking is the numbers. He has raced there just three times and won twice — a record that any horse would be proud of at a track that draws competitive fields. His first win came in March 2024, followed by another there in April. Jockey Charles Bishop, who has partnered him in 12 of his 14 races, was effusive after that second Doncaster win, saying the horse had strengthened up significantly from his previous run and, crucially, raced more professionally with a stronger bit in his mouth. Bishop's comment that Balmacara "could do a bit of damage on soft ground in a Group race" suggests this is a horse with ambitions beyond his current level.

That ambition is tested by a stubborn fact, though. He has run eight times in Class 2 company — some of the most competitive races in Britain outside the very top tier — and has not won any of them. His recent form reading 3-10-14-2-16-3 shows a horse that can be placed on his day but is inconsistent, and he has not won in his last six races, with that last victory now 25 months ago.

Trainer Eve Johnson Houghton is candid about why. Her Blewbury yard has been in fine form this season with 42 winners, but Balmacara has not been part of that tally largely because the weather has not cooperated. She describes him as a "10lb better horse" on wet ground and, with conditions currently too dry, she has been waiting rather than running him into the ground for nothing. There is even talk of travelling to France or Ireland to find a suitable race. That patience, from a trainer with a strong season behind her, tells you something: this is a horse she still believes in. The question is whether the rain arrives before the season runs out.