My Ballyquinn

The recent form figures of 1-4-2-7 tell an interesting story. Reading from right to left — oldest to most recent — the horse came seventh, then second, then fourth, before putting it all together with that win at Hamilton Park. It's the kind of progression you'd hope to see from a three-year-old learning the job, steadily improving before landing the result.

Behind the horse is the yard of David O'Meara, based at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire. O'Meara's operation is in fine shape right now — 107 winners already this season is a serious number that puts the stable among the busiest and most productive in the country. When a horse comes from a yard firing on all cylinders like that, it tends to mean the timing of each race has been carefully thought through. My Ballyquinn's win this week looks less like a lucky break and more like a yard that knew exactly when their horse was ready.

With only four races on the clock and a win already banked, there's plenty of story still to be written. The question now is whether Hamilton Park was just the start.