Mgheera

Walker describes her as always slow out of the stalls, but says that's actually a feature rather than a flaw — at a track like Ascot, where five furlongs demands a horse travel well from being held up, her habit of coming late could be a weapon rather than a handicap. Jockey Oisin Murphy was the man who threaded the needle at Longchamp, weaving out from behind a wall of horses to find a clean run at exactly the right moment. Walker admitted he was worried it wasn't going to happen — which is what makes the win feel earned rather than routine.

Now Mgheera is returning from a break of around seven months, which is worth noting. A horse coming back from that kind of absence can be ring-rusty, or it can come back sharper and fresher — Walker says she is in great shape and has done everything right in training. The bigger story is what comes next: there is talk of a tilt at the Nunthorpe Stakes, one of the most prestigious flat sprints in the calendar, and even the possibility of travelling to Australia. Walker is clearly excited, and quietly confident she has another level to find.