Bunting

That Limerick win, though, was one to savour. Jockey Sean O'Keeffe described the horse as having "a lovely attitude" and jumping well throughout, only having a curious peek at the last two fences before getting the job done. It is the kind of detail that tells you something about a horse's character — confident enough to win, curious enough to have a look around while doing it.

The story of Bunting is really the story of potential being tested by opportunity. Mullins's yard has sent out 230 winners this season alone, which makes it one of the most powerful training operations in Ireland. When Mullins places a horse in a top-level race — which he has done three times with Bunting, without a win — he is making a statement that he believes the horse belongs there. Bunting has not yet delivered at that level, but the trainer clearly has not given up. On a stable tour in November 2024, Mullins noted that Bunting had been schooling well over fences and suggested the horse could have more to offer in that discipline. That kind of quiet confidence from a trainer who wins as routinely as Mullins does is worth paying attention to.

Recent form — finishing sixth, ninth, ninth, fourth, third and fifth across the last six races — reads like a horse that is competitive without quite finding top gear. Four places from 16 career races tells you Bunting has been knocking on the door regularly enough. The question is whether a switch to a different type of racing over fences, as Mullins hinted at, might be the key that unlocks something new. It has happened before with horses who needed a fresh challenge to find their best. Bunting, who raced just one day ago and is very much in active training, may yet give the team at Muine Bheag reason to celebrate again.