Fortunate

That said, context matters. Two-year-olds are still learning the job — learning to jump from the stalls, learning to race in traffic, learning what is actually being asked of them. A horse that finishes 4th on debut can still turn into something useful, and the most recent run, that fourth-place finish, is at least pointing in a more encouraging direction than the 13th. Fortunate raced just yesterday, so whoever is watching closely will have fresh evidence to work with.

The trainer, Eve Johnson Houghton, based in Blewbury in Oxfordshire, is certainly no stranger to getting the best out of young horses. Her yard has sent out 42 winners already this season — a serious number that tells you this is an operation that knows what it is doing. Horses trained there are prepared properly and placed in the right races. If Fortunate has ability to unlock, it is in capable hands.