Josh's Joy

A 20% win rate — roughly one win in every five races — sounds modest in isolation, but the context here matters. Josh's Joy has placed in all five of its races, meaning it has never truly flopped. For a horse still only three years old and learning its trade, that kind of reliability is genuinely encouraging. The Naas victory is the obvious highlight so far, but the placings either side of it paint a picture of a horse that simply does not have bad days.

The trainer behind this is Donnacha Aidan O'Brien, based at Ballyroe in County Tipperary. The yard has sent out 30 winners already this season, which tells you this is an operation that knows how to get horses ready to perform. Having that level of support behind a young, consistent horse like Josh's Joy only adds to the sense that there could be more to come. With the horse recorded as having raced just one day ago and still active, the story is very much still being written.