Huff'n'puff

The recent form tells an interesting story. Reading it from oldest to most recent — a sixth, a third, a fifth, and then a win — there is a clear upward curve. That sixth-place finish looks like a horse still finding its feet; the third suggests something clicking into place; and the win at Roscommon is the payoff. It is the kind of progression that makes a young horse worth following.

Behind the scenes, Huff'n'puff is trained by Henry De Bromhead at his yard in Knockeen, County Waterford. De Bromhead is one of the most respected trainers in Irish racing, and the numbers back that up — 107 winners sent out from his yard already this season alone. That is not a stable that wastes time with horses it does not believe in, which makes Huff'n'puff's place on the roster a quiet vote of confidence in itself.