Big Zouk

The overall record reads two wins and three places from seven races — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 3.5 outings, or 29% if you prefer a number. That is genuinely solid for a horse at this level. Interestingly, Big Zouk has spent most of its career competing at Class 4, the fourth tier of British racing, and has yet to win at that level in four attempts. Both victories have come when dropped into softer company, which tells you something useful: this is a horse that performs when the conditions suit and the competition matches its ability. Whether the team now tests it at a higher grade on the back of this form will be one of the more interesting questions of the coming weeks.

Behind Big Zouk is Nicky Richards, a trainer based at Greystoke in Cumbria who has quietly built one of the most consistent small yards in the north of England. With 33 winners already on the board this season, Richards is operating in excellent form — and a trainer running hot is exactly the kind of detail that matters when a horse suddenly starts clicking. When the yard is firing, horses tend to be spot on for their races, and Big Zouk's recent wins suggest it is in exactly that kind of shape right now.

Having raced just yesterday, it will need a breather before its next appearance. But with two wins from its last six races and a trainer in fine fettle, Big Zouk heads into that next run with more momentum behind it than at any previous point in its career.