Awraad

Tutty trains out of Osmotherley in North Yorkshire and has been in fine form this season, sending out 19 winners so far. Her read on Awraad is that the horse's small frame means running her again quickly with a penalty (the extra weight a winner carries) would be asking too much, so the plan is to step her straight up to the Marygate at York — one of the most prestigious races of its kind for young horses in Britain. That is a significant leap in class for a horse with one win to her name, but Tutty clearly believes the ability is there. She describes Awraad as an "early type" with a great mind — shorthand for a horse that has grown up fast and handles the pressure of racing without drama.

The overall record of 1 win and 2 places from 6 races — roughly winning 1 in every 6 attempts — is modest on its own. But context matters enormously here. This is a horse whose entire experience amounts to six races, whose debut win was achieved with barely any preparation, and who is now being pointed at a top-level occasion at one of Britain's most famous tracks. The form since that win has been patchy — finishing fifth, second, then sixth twice in her last four outings — but those runs came before the Pontefract breakthrough, and Tutty is clearly working to conditions that suit her horse, having flagged that slower ground is something she wants to avoid. Watch this space.