Galop De Chasse

That Newbury win is worth dwelling on. The horse Galop De Chasse beat that day, Kandoo Kid, has since gone on to be rated 145 — a mark that puts a horse in genuinely elite company over jumps. In other words, Galop De Chasse didn't win a forgettable race against forgettable rivals. He beat a horse who turned out to be very good indeed, and that lends his last victory a significance that wasn't obvious at the time.

The overall career record sits at 4 wins and 14 places from 25 races — a win rate of roughly 1 in every 6, or 16%. That is a respectable tally for a horse competing mainly at Class 3 level, one step below the top tier of British racing. At that level, he has won just 1 race from 11 attempts, or just under 1 in every 11, which tells you he is competing against solid horses and not finding it easy. His most regular partner in the saddle has been Charlie Deutsch, and together they have a slightly better record — 3 wins from 15 races, meaning they click at roughly 1 in 5.

Trainer Venetia Williams, whose yard at Kings Caple in Herefordshire has sent out 16 winners already this season, speaks about Galop De Chasse with quiet confidence. He has indicated he is in good shape after his break and expects him to be flexible in distance, able to run anywhere from two miles to two and a half. With 45 days since his last run, he arrives fresh rather than ring-rusty. The key question is whether a now-ten-year-old can rediscover the form that beat a 145-rated rival, but Williams clearly believes the ability is still there. Given the quality of that Newbury performance, it would be unwise to dismiss him.