Battle Of Maldon

The one thing firmly in its favour is who is saddling it up. Gordon Elliott's operation in Longwood, Co Meath is one of the most powerful yards in jump racing, and this season alone they have sent out 209 winners — that is a remarkable number that puts them among the elite stables in Ireland and Britain. When a yard is firing at that volume, even the horses still searching for their first win tend to be well placed and patiently handled. Elliott knows how to find the right race for the right horse, and with Battle Of Maldon having raced just three times, there is clearly a plan still being worked through.

Raced as recently as yesterday, this is a horse still very much in the thick of its early career. Three races is a small sample — plenty of horses take time to find their feet before clicking into gear. Whether Battle Of Maldon develops into something useful remains to be seen, but with Elliott pulling the strings, it will at least be given every opportunity to find out.