Mr Cool

What Mr Cool does show is a clear preference for normal ground conditions, and that is worth noting. On a standard surface he has won 2 of his 8 races — a 25% win rate, or 1 in every 4 — which is a strikingly better return than his overall record suggests. Put him on anything else and the numbers fall away sharply. Ground matters for this horse in a way it does not for many, and any time conditions are right, he becomes a more interesting proposition than his headline figures imply.

He is trained by Charlie Johnston at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, part of a yard that has been in excellent form this season with 128 winners sent out — one of the busiest and most successful operations in the country. Joe Fanning rides him most often, and their record together is one win from six races, a 17% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 6. That is actually better than the horse's overall average, which suggests the partnership works. Mr Cool races mostly at Class 4 level, the solid middle tier of British racing, where he has won just 1 of 13 races. At that level, finishing in the top few is fine, but it is winning that matters.

He raced just yesterday, which means he is right in the thick of an active campaign. For a horse who has been placed nine times without winning more often, the patience of his team is clearly intact. Whether the ground comes up right and he can recapture the form that got him to Ripon last summer remains to be seen — but the ingredients for a win are there, if everything aligns.