Thenandnow

What makes the Curragh win interesting is the way it unfolded. Jockey Shane Foley, who has ridden Thenandnow in five of her six races and won on her 20% of the time — or 1 in every 5 rides — noted that she got to the front and seemed momentarily unsure what to do with herself. In Harrington's words, she said "what am I doing out here?" It's a small detail, but it tells you something useful: this is a horse still learning how to race, and she has more to give once she figures it out. Foley believes she'll improve with something to chase, rather than being left in front without a target.

The overall record — 1 win and 3 placed efforts from 6 races — is modest on paper, but the trend of her form is pointing in the right direction. Her last six runs read 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 1st, and then a run just yesterday, suggesting she is racing regularly and in good health. Over her best distances of five to six and a half furlongs, she has won 1 from 3, which works out to a 33% win rate — a noticeably better number than her overall record suggests.

Harrington's yard at Moone in Co Kildare has sent out 54 winners this season, so this is not a team short of ammunition or experience. When a trainer of that calibre says a horse is going to be "a six-furlong filly" and flags a specific target — the Polonia Stakes at Cork next month — it is worth paying attention. The plan sounds simple enough: find a race where something else sets the pace, let Thenandnow sit off it, and ask her to quicken late. On the evidence of what she showed at The Curragh, that is very much within her capabilities.