Bulletin

Where Bulletin does show genuine form is in Class 4 races—the level below his typical company. He has won one of six races at that standard, a win rate of 17 per cent that suggests he might be better suited to slightly easier opposition. His trainer Jonathan Portman, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, describes him as a slow-maturing type with scope still to develop, and has noted that Bulletin appeared to run well when stepped up in trip at Glorious Goodwood earlier this year, finishing third. Portman sees his best distance as between one mile two furlongs and one mile four furlongs, ideally on ground with some give in it—softer, wetter conditions where he can settle into a rhythm.

Rob Hornby has ridden Bulletin in eleven races, winning twice, a partnership that works at 18 per cent—better than the horse's overall record suggests. That winning combination has had time to develop some understanding. Bulletin raced just one day ago and remains active, so the yard is clearly still trying to find the right spot for him. With the right conditions, the right distance, and the right level of opposition, there are signs this horse could win again. The question is whether his yard can piece those ingredients together before his form drifts further away.