Button Rock

The numbers back this up. Button Rock has won 2 of its 3 races on normal ground conditions, a 67 per cent win rate that stands out starkly against its overall record of 2 wins from 8 starts. That is a 25 per cent win rate across the board, but the Perth form is genuinely strong: the horse won there just this week on 15 August, and before that secured another victory at the same track on 2 July. Something about Perth brings out the best in this horse, and that is the kind of detail that matters when you are trying to understand what it can actually do.

The worry, according to trainer Andrew Hamilton, has been that Button Rock is too keen, rushing too much in its races rather than settling into a rhythm. When the horse ran at Punchestown recently, it ran too hard too early and paid the price. But there is an obvious solution in sight: if Button Rock can learn to relax and travel within itself, the trainer believes it will run better across different tracks. For now, though, Perth remains the place to follow it. A horse that has won both of its last two victories at one track and thrives on normal ground is a horse worth keeping an eye on, especially one that is still clearly learning its trade at six years old.