Bosh Soldier

What makes the situation worth watching is the trainer behind it. Tony Carroll, based at Cropthorne in Worcestershire, has sent out 134 winners already this season — a significant total that marks him out as one of the more prolific yards in the country. A trainer producing numbers like that clearly knows how to place horses and get the best from them. The fact that Bosh Soldier hasn't clicked yet doesn't reflect on the operation — Carroll regularly runs horses at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, and has a strong record of finding the right opportunity when a horse is ready.

Bosh Soldier has raced four times at Class 6 level without winning any of them, which suggests it hasn't yet found a race weak enough to get its head in front. That's not unusual for a three-year-old still developing, and the horse raced as recently as yesterday, so the yard are clearly keeping it active in search of that breakthrough. Patience is the word here — and with a trainer capable of turning things around, it would be premature to write Bosh Soldier off entirely.