Bits Ballou

What works in Bits Ballou's favour is where it calls home. The Naunton yard of Nigel and Willy Twiston-Davies is one of the busiest and most productive in the country right now, having sent out 61 winners already this season. That is not a yard that carries passengers — horses trained there tend to find their level and, more often than not, find the winner's circle eventually. Bits Ballou has not troubled the judges yet, but it is being asked questions regularly, and a fourth, a sixth, and an eighth suggest a horse that is competing rather than simply making up the numbers.

The honest truth is that zero wins from three races tells you this horse is still searching for conditions or a race that suits. Whether that means softer or firmer ground, a different trip, or simply more experience is something the team at Naunton are still working out. With a yard firing at this rate, you would expect those answers to come sooner rather than later.