Towelontheterrace

The recent form tells an interesting story: a tenth-place finish most recently, then a fourth, a second, and before that a third. It is the pattern of a horse that has hit a small bump after that breakthrough success six weeks ago. In racing, this happens often enough with young animals — one good day comes along, and then the horse has to prove it was not a flash in the pan. Towelonthethterrace is still very much in that proving phase, but the fact that it picked up a placed finish in its race before last suggests the ability is still there to be recaptured.

Jennie Candlish's yard at Basford in Staffordshire has been in impressive form this season, with 64 winners already sent out. That is the kind of record that suggests the trainer has good horses and knows how to prepare them. For a young horse like this one, being in a yard with that kind of winning rate is encouraging — it means there is genuine horsepower behind the scenes and a trainer who understands how to get the best out of her animals at the right moment.