Tripoli Flyer

The Kempton win is the one that made people sit up. After the race, O'Brien described him as having "a huge engine" and said jockey Jonathan Burke — who has won 3 of their 9 races together, roughly 1 in every 3 — felt he could switch him anywhere in the field and find speed on demand. That combination of tactical flexibility and a sharp late burst is genuinely rare, and it earned Tripoli Flyer serious consideration for the Supreme Novices' Hurdle at Cheltenham, one of the most prestigious races in the jump season. O'Brien made no secret of his ambitions, though he was measured about it: he noted the horse had earned his chance, jumps slightly right-handed, and would benefit from good ground if the Festival was to happen.

It hasn't quite happened since. Tripoli Flyer hasn't won in his last six races, with a second and a third the only hints of that earlier form. His record on slightly soft, wet ground stands out — 2 wins from 5 races, a 40% win rate — but his most recent run came just yesterday, so this story is very much still being written. O'Brien's most recent thinking has him heading to Southwell for a mile-and-a-half race as a stepping stone, leaning on what he describes as genuine stamina over two miles and beyond. A yard that has sent out 90 winners this season isn't short of confidence, and a horse with two top-level wins on his record at the age of seven still has plenty to offer. The Kempton win may be 14 months ago, but it told you something real about what this horse can do when conditions fall right.