Drumheller

What Gifford says about Drumheller is genuinely interesting. The horse took a long time to understand what was being asked of him — not unusual for a staying type, who can take longer to mature than a sharp, speedy horse. But Gifford is now clear on what Drumheller needs: a long-distance test, normal to slightly soft ground underfoot, and — crucially — a wide, galloping track where a horse can stretch out and find a rhythm. When he finished second at Plumpton recently, it was behind a horse called Final Straw, and Gifford is quick to point out that Plumpton, a tight, turning circuit, is about the worst shape of track you could give a horse like this. The fact that Drumheller ran as well as he did there, in conditions that did not suit him, tells you something.

Jockey Niall Houlihan has ridden him in six of his twelve races, the two of them yet to find the winner's enclosure together — but with a second and a third in recent outings, they appear to be getting closer. Drumheller has spent most of his career competing at Class 5 level, the entry-level tier of British racing, winning none of his five attempts there. That might sound discouraging, but horses who need very specific conditions — a particular type of track, a certain trip, the right ground — can go a long time without winning before everything clicks into place.

Gifford is pointing him towards Chepstow or Doncaster next, both broad, sweeping tracks that reward a horse who stays all day. He raced just yesterday, so he is fit and in work. Whether the right race comes along soon enough is the question, but for the first time in a while, the pieces look like they might be assembling themselves. Sometimes all a horse needs is the right stage.