Grow Old With Me

What gives the team genuine reason for optimism is who is doing the training. Ralph Beckett's yard at Kimpton in Hampshire has sent out 109 winners already this season — a number that speaks for itself. That is the output of a stable that knows how to get horses ready to perform, and when a yard is firing at that rate, the horses in their care tend to find their moment eventually. Grow Old With Me has placed in both of its races to date, which means it has been competitive every single time it has stepped onto a track — just not quite competitive enough to get its nose in front.

With only two races to judge it on, it would be unfair to read too much into the record. What we can say is that the trajectory is pointing in the right direction — a third, then a second — and with a top stable behind it, the expectation will be that a win is not far away.