Hickory Lad

His breakthrough came in late April at Musselburgh, and he followed that with a second win at Epsom Downs in early June. Those two successes matter because Epsom is no small track; it is one of Britain's most prestigious racing venues, and winning there at any age is a credential worth having. Since then, though, Hickory Lad has gone quiet. His last six races tell the story: a third, an eighth, another third, then a win, a second place, and most recently a first. In other words, he has picked up just two wins in that stretch, and that eighth-place finish last month was the kind of run that makes the yard wonder what went wrong. Yesterday he raced again, so he is clearly being kept busy, which suggests Phillip Makin's yard at Easingwold believes there is more to come.

Makin's operation is no backwater setup either. The yard has already sent out nine winners this season, so Hickory Lad is surrounded by horses who know how to get their heads in front. At two years old, there is still time for him to develop into something more than a modest operator. He has the wins to prove he can compete, and the placing record—six places from seven races—shows he is consistently thereabouts. Whether he will grow into a top-class performer or settle into a solid mid-range career remains to be seen, but his recent activity suggests his the yard are not done with him yet.