Mojito Des Mottes

Pauling, whose yard at Naunton in Gloucestershire has been in seriously good form this season — 89 winners and counting — knows this horse from a previous win in France, where Mojito Des Mottes won his only race at Moulin. That matters. It tells you the ability is there; it's just been a case of getting him to settle and replicate it on British tracks. Pauling was candid about what went wrong at Ludlow: the horse was buzzy and keen, went too fast too early, and ran out of petrol by the end. In racing, that kind of run isn't always a bad sign — it can be a young horse still learning the job, burning through nervous energy before figuring out how to use it properly.

The encouraging part is what Pauling said next: with that experience under his belt, he expects Mojito Des Mottes to be closer to the action when the gates open next time, rather than burning his energy reserves in the opening stages. A horse that has already won under rules and is trained by someone sending out winners at this rate is not one to write off because of a messy display. He has raced just 10 days ago, so he is very much a live, active runner — and his yard clearly has him ready.

He hasn't won yet in Britain, and four races without a victory is honestly a modest start. But zero from four feels a lot less worrying when