Falcon Eight

His overall record tells one story: 4 wins from 31 races, which works out at roughly 1 in every 8 — not a horse you'd back blindly every time out. But zoom in on the distances he loves, between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, and you see a different animal. At those distances he has won 2 from 6, which is 1 in every 3 — a figure that suggests he has been a very good horse just not always in the right place. The Curragh, where Weld is based, has been his most productive address: 2 wins from 8 races there, a track record that speaks to how well the yard knows how to place him.

Weld has been characteristically candid about what makes Falcon Eight tick. The horse is a natural come-from-behind runner — he does not quicken early, does not rush, and needs a race to develop around him before he starts finding his best. That style suits staying distances perfectly, and it suits a patient trainer even better. Weld has described him as "tough as teak" and pointed out he was desperately unlucky not to win the Irish Cesarewitch in consecutive years. He also ran well enough in the Chester Cup carrying nearly ten stone, which is a significant burden — Frankie Dettori, who rode him that day, felt it was a very good run given the weight.

His recent form reads as mixed — a win, then a string of mid-pack finishes — but at 11, finishing in the top handful in decent company is no small thing. The top-level races, the Class 1 and 2 contests, have so far yielded nothing from five attempts, which suggests there is a ceiling. But Falcon Eight has never looked like a horse interested in ceilings. He just keeps turning up, which, at his age, is remarkable enough on its own.