Alba Gu Brath

The interesting part is where Charlie Johnston thinks this horse is heading. Johnston trains out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, one of the most productive yards in Britain right now — 128 winners already this season, which is a remarkable output. He has been clear that the mile trip Alba Gu Brath won over in January is probably too short for him. The horse has been shaping in his races as though a mile and a quarter would suit him better, and come summer, a mile and a half may be on the agenda. That is a significant step up, and it tells you the team see something in this horse beyond what the bare results show.

What makes this worth paying attention to is the trainer's observation that Alba Gu Brath fits a type Johnston's yard tends to handle particularly well — the three-year-old middle-distance horse who takes time to find his ideal trip and then clicks into gear once the distances lengthen. If that pattern holds, the January win at Newcastle may turn out to be the first chapter of a more interesting story told over longer trips as the season progresses.