Noble Vow

The recent form string makes for interesting reading: fourth, third, second, fifth, third, and then a winner. That second place will have been especially tantalising for the yard — so close, and then a fifth to follow must have felt like a step back. But the trajectory over these last couple of runs has been sharply upward, and Bath has clearly suited. Winning roughly 1 in every 7 races overall is a modest rate on paper, but for a young horse still learning its trade, consistency matters as much as victories, and Noble Vow has been placing in most of its races.

What gives this win real context is where it happened in the pecking order. Noble Vow has run three times in Class 4 races — the middle tier of British racing — without winning any of them. Bath changed that, and it will be fascinating to see whether the team now targets a return to that track or steps Noble Vow up in class on the back of this confidence boost.

The yard behind the horse is one of the most productive in the country right now. Richard Hannon, training out of Herridge in Wiltshire, has sent out 118 winners already this season — a number that belongs to an operation running at full tilt. Having that kind of support behind a young horse matters enormously; Hannon's team know how to place horses in the right races at the right time, and the fact that Noble Vow has been placing so regularly suggests it has been well-targeted. Yesterday's win looks less like a fluke and more like a plan coming together.