Magic McColgan

The Punchestown win itself was a revealing one. Jockey Paul Townend, who rides her more than anyone and has won 1 from their 5 races together — a rate of around 1 in 5, which is strong — noted afterwards that she drifted left and jumped left throughout, getting progressively worse as the race went on. Despite that, she won, which tells you something about her raw ability. Townend also flagged that she appreciated stepping up in distance and that the wet, muddy ground suited her — both useful pieces of information for anyone trying to predict when she might win again.

Willie Mullins, one of the most successful trainers in the sport, sends her out from his yard in Co Carlow. That yard has sent out 230 winners already this season alone, so the operation Magic McColgan is part of is about as formidable as it gets. Mullins himself described a strong run at Leopardstown as a real step forward, and at the time was pointing her towards a top-level mares' race at Punchestown. The fact that a trainer of his calibre is mapping out graded targets for her says something about how she is regarded behind the scenes.

She is not a horse who has dominated her rivals or put together a flashy sequence of wins. But seven places from 13 races means she turns up, competes, and earns her keep. If the ground comes up wet and the trip is right, Magic McColgan has already shown she can win — and in a yard that hits its targets with the regularity Mullins does, the question is less whether she can win again, and more when.