Fanciulla Del West

What makes her interesting is the trajectory. Ed Walker, who trains her out of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, has been vocal about the progress she has made since her first season racing. She ran twice as a two-year-old and showed enough ability to keep people interested, but she was always going to be the kind of horse who needed time — she was simply too big and immature to fulfil her potential early on. That growth from two to three has been dramatic, and Walker clearly believes the best is still ahead of her.

The most recent run backs that up. Just a day ago she finished second at Yarmouth, beaten by a horse Walker himself described as a smart prospect. In racing terms, that is a useful piece of context — losing narrowly to a horse your own trainer rates highly is a very different kind of defeat to just being outclassed. She led for a long way and only got swallowed up late, which suggests she is competitive and genuine rather than a horse that simply makes up the numbers.

Walker's yard has sent out 76 winners this season alone, which tells you this is not a small operation making optimistic noises. When a trainer of that output says a horse should keep getting better and better, it is worth taking seriously. Fanciulla Del West may be on zero wins from five races right now, but she looks like a horse who has simply not yet found the right day — and when she does, it might not be a surprise at all.