Charme De Faust

She is four years old and has raced just four times, winning once and finishing in the frame on two other occasions — a record of 1 win from 4 races, or 25%, which is a healthy return for a horse still finding her feet. Her most recent result was a fourth-place finish, but before that she had placed third, and before that came the performance that really matters: a win at Thurles in January on what jockey Paul Townend described with genuine enthusiasm after the race. He noted that she jumped brilliantly, handled the conditions well, and still had plenty left to give physically — she was blowing after the race, which in racing terms means she had more fitness to find. Crucially, he pointed out that she has not yet grown into her frame. She is still developing.

That last detail is the interesting one. A horse that wins while still maturing is a horse with room to improve, and improvement is exactly what a trainer needs if he is pointing a young horse at one of the season's top prizes. Mullins has been open about his ambitions for her, and with 220 winners on the board this season, his yard knows what a good horse looks like. The fact that they are talking about Charme De Faust in those terms — however cautiously — suggests she is worth keeping a close eye on as the season unfolds.