Breaking Ground

Trained by R Mike Smith out of Galston in East Ayrshire, Breaking Ground at least finds itself in capable hands. The yard has sent out 25 winners already this season, which shows Smith knows how to get horses to the line first — the question is when he can unlock the same from this particular inmate. At Class 4, which sits in the middle tier of British racing, Breaking Ground has had three attempts and not converted any of them. That level is not the highest company, but it is still competitive, and a horse needs to show at least something to suggest a win is coming.

The recent form figures — 10th, 5th, pulled up, 12th, 5th, 11th reading back from the most recent run — paint a picture of a horse that has flashed the odd hint. Those two fifth-place finishes suggest Breaking Ground is not completely out of its depth, but the double-figure finishes either side of them show the consistency simply isn't there yet. The fact that it raced just one day ago means it is firmly in the thick of a campaign right now, and Smith clearly has not given up on finding the right opportunity. Whether that opportunity arrives soon is the big question — but with a trainer in form around it, hope is not entirely unreasonable.