Phantom Gold

That Newton Abbot victory was something worth remembering, though. He won by nine lengths — the kind of margin that turns heads and makes people wonder exactly how good a horse might be. It was enough to put him in an online sale shortly afterwards, but when the bids didn't reach the right price, trainer Jennie Candlish held on to him. As she put it, what he showed at Newton Abbot was exactly what the yard had been seeing at home — so rather than let him go cheap, they kept faith.

Candlish, based in Basford, Staffordshire, has sent out 61 winners this season alone, which tells you this is not a quiet backwater operation. Having a horse like Phantom Gold on the books — one with an eye-catching win to his name but questions still to answer — fits the profile of a yard that knows how to develop horses over time.

What makes Phantom Gold particularly interesting is what comes next. Candlish has been open about his preference for fast, dry ground, which comes down to his breeding — he's by Champs Elysées, a sire associated with horses that move best on a quick surface. There has also been talk of sending him to race in the United States, where prize money for certain races can be substantial and where a horse of his profile might be able to cash in. He raced just yesterday, so he is firmly in active campaign, and despite his recent finishes of fourth, sixth, and fifth suggesting he's been competitive without quite getting over the line, the raw ability that produced that nine-length win hasn't been forgotten by the people who see him every day.