Echalar

The numbers hint at where Echalar's strengths lie. Step the horse up to the 1m3f to 1m4f range—distances that sit just on the longer side of a mile—and suddenly it looks a different animal. Over those distances, it has won once from three attempts (a 33% win rate), which is a genuine standout in an otherwise patchy record. Its trainer, Ian Williams at Portway in Worcestershire, runs a productive yard that has already sent out 96 winners this season, so the horse has the benefit of experienced hands. Harry Davies, Echalar's regular rider, has also shown the pair can get the job done together, winning one from their five rides (a 20% rate that beats the horse's overall average).

Whether Echalar can build on the Doncaster success remains to be seen. The horse is still relatively inexperienced and remains a long way from elite company—most of its races have been at Class 4 level, where it has won one from five starts. But after months of mid-field finishes and places without victories, a win this week suggests something may have clicked. For a horse like this, consistent form at the right distance and the right class is everything, and that Doncaster winner shows the potential is there.