Mythical Bird

The Lingfield win makes sense when you look at where she performs best. Over distances of a mile and three furlongs to a mile and four furlongs, she wins 1 in every 4 races — a dramatically better record than her overall figures suggest. Most of her races have come at Class 5 level, the more everyday end of the racing ladder, where she is yet to win from seven attempts. That contrast hints at a horse who perhaps needs things to fall right — the right track, the right trip — rather than one who lacks ability.

Morrison's yard at East Ilsley has had a productive season, sending out 20 winners, so the team clearly knows how to place horses to give them their best chance. The Goodwood run that preceded the Lingfield win, where Mythical Bird finished eighth, was put down to the track and conditions not suiting her. It turned out to be a blip rather than a sign of decline. Her recent form of 1-6-4-4-3-3 shows a horse that has been placing consistently and is now finally converting. Whether she can build on this week's breakthrough will be the interesting question going forward.