First Ascent

The recent form makes for interesting reading. Two of those placed efforts came in the last six races — a second and a third — which suggests First Ascent is running consistently well without finding the extra gear needed to win. The dashes in that sequence indicate races where the horse finished outside the top few, so it isn't all smooth sailing, but the overall picture is of an animal that belongs at the track and isn't embarrassing itself.

What gives the team genuine cause for optimism is the operation behind this horse. Gordon Elliott's yard at Longwood in County Meath is one of the most powerful in racing on either side of the Irish Sea, and this season alone they have sent out 210 winners. To put that in perspective, that is a relentless, industrial level of success — a yard firing on all cylinders. When a horse sits in that environment, with those resources and that level of expertise around it, a first win feels less like a question of if and more a question of when. First Ascent raced just yesterday, so whatever comes next is likely not far away.