Drombane

That recent form is worth a closer look. The last four races read 5th, 10th, 2nd, 4th working backwards from today, which means Drombane finished second most recently and has put in a 4th as well — sandwiching that 10th, which looks like the odd one out. A horse that was finishing mid-pack has picked itself up and run into a place, and that is at least a direction of travel worth noticing.

What gives this horse a genuine point of interest is where it is stabled. W P Mullins — Willie Mullins — is the dominant force in jump racing, a trainer whose Muine Bheag yard in County Carlow has sent out 230 winners already this season. That is not a typo. To put it in perspective, most trainers in Britain and Ireland would consider 20 or 30 winners a strong season. A horse in that yard, however unproven, is being brought along by one of the very best operations in the sport, with access to world-class facilities, staff, and race planning. Horses in that environment tend to improve, sometimes dramatically, once the yard — sorry, once the team — find the right race for them. Drombane raced just yesterday, so this story is very much still being written.