Duffle Coat

That sole win came at Ballinrobe in May 2024, now two full years ago. Jockey Sam Ewing, who has partnered Duffle Coat for 12 of his races and won on him once, described holding his nerve on the day — waiting longer than instinct told him, letting the better ground do the work, and finally getting the win a horse that had finished second so many times genuinely deserved. It was a moment of patience paying off after a career of near-misses.

Since then, though, the wins have dried up entirely, and Elliott himself has acknowledged that Duffle Coat has "lost his way a little of late." The plan for this season is to redirect him toward cross-country racing — a discipline that rewards toughness, jumping ability, and exactly the kind of relentless stamina that Power highlighted at Cheltenham. It is, in some ways, a perfect fit for a horse whose defining quality has never been speed. Elliott's yard has sent out 210 winners this season alone, which gives a sense of the scale and quality Duffle Coat is part of — and it suggests that when Elliott spots a new route for a horse, he usually has the resources and judgment to make it work. Whether Duffle Coat can rediscover his best form over the cross-country fences remains to be seen, but the raw material — the tenacity, the stamina — has always been there.