Matada

What gives reason for cautious optimism is the yard behind the horse. Gavin Cromwell, based in Navan, Co. Meath, has been in exceptional form this season, sending out 97 winners — a tally that marks him out as one of the busiest and most productive operations in Irish racing right now. When a yard is firing at that rate, they tend to know which horses have ability and which ones are simply making up the numbers. The fact that Matada is still being actively campaigned suggests the team believe there is more to come.

At 3 years old, there is plenty of time for the penny to drop. Some horses take a few runs just to figure out what racing is all about, and two outings is a very small sample. Whether Matada can reward that patience is the question worth watching.