In A Sonnet

What gives that debut win extra weight is who is behind it. In A Sonnet is trained by W P Mullins out of Muine Bheag in County Carlow — arguably the most powerful yard in jump racing anywhere in the world. This season alone, that operation has sent out 220 winners, a number so large it barely seems real. To put it another way, that is roughly four winners every week of the season. When a horse comes out of that stable and wins first time, it tells you the team believes in it.

In A Sonnet raced just yesterday, so this is a horse right in the middle of its story rather than one looking back on past glories. The recent form figures — 1 and 4 — show a winner followed by a fourth-place finish, which suggests a horse still learning the job but clearly capable of getting to the front when conditions suit. Racing just twice is a small sample, but in a yard that has no shortage of options, a horse still being actively campaigned is a horse someone thinks has more to offer.