Gili Island

What makes this horse worth watching despite those modest numbers is who is doing the training. Gordon Elliott, based at Longwood in County Meath, is one of the most powerful operations in jump racing, and this season alone the yard has sent out 209 winners. To put that in perspective, that is a relentless, industrial-scale production of winners — the kind of operation where horses tend to improve quickly and find their right race. Elliott's team rarely persevere with a horse unless they believe there is something worth persevering with.

Gili Island raced just yesterday, so whatever happened is still fresh. With only two runs on the board, the horse is still at the very beginning of its story, and it would be premature to write it off. Some horses simply take time to figure out what is being asked of them. The real question is whether Elliott's team send this one out again quickly looking for a confidence boost, or give it time to develop. Either way, being in that yard means the opportunity will come.