Belle Of The Ball

The recent runs tell a mixed story. After that Cork success two months ago, Belle Of The Ball has found things tougher, finishing fourth, then fifth, then third, then fourth again over the last four outings. That's the kind of pattern you see with young horses still figuring out what they're capable of — some days everything clicks, other days they're nowhere near it. Still, a two-year-old that has already won a race is ahead of plenty of its peers, and the fact that it's been racing regularly suggests the the yard believe there's more to come.

Mrs John Harrington's yard at Moone in County Kildare has had an excellent season, sending out 53 winners, which tells you the operation knows what it's doing. That's the kind of setup where a horse with early promise tends to improve rather than fade. Belle Of The Ball was last out just a day ago, so it's still actively in the mix. Whether the next step is back to the winner's enclosure or more learning on the job remains to be seen, but this is a young horse that has already proved it can win and has the backing of a yard in form.