Joltin N Jiving

The Grade 1 trip to Aintree did not produce a win, but McCain has been candid that the horse ran respectably — which, against the very best in the country, is no small thing for a horse who had only just opened his account. A couple of difficult runs followed last season, and he has not won since that Carlisle breakthrough, now 14 months ago. But McCain is relaxed about the timeline. The horse has been going well at home, a short break of 42 days behind him, and the trainer clearly regards the setbacks as bumps in the road rather than reasons for concern.

At his best, Joltin N Jiving competes at Class 4 level — the bread-and-butter tier of jump racing — and has won 1 from 4 races at that grade, a rate of 25%, or 1 in every 4. His recent form of 2-5-5-2-8-1 reads as a horse that finds the frame more often than he tops it, which matches the overall picture: competitive, placed regularly, but not yet consistent at converting. Brian Hughes has ridden him in all seven of his races and knows the horse as well as anyone. The plan for now is to keep him over hurdles, with fences on the horizon further down the line — a trajectory that suggests the team sees a longer story still to be written.