Highland Olly

His recent revival tells the story. After a three-month gap, he returned to the track just yesterday, and before that he had been running in the sort of hard-fought races that wear down most horses. Then, at Musselburgh last week, he produced what his trainer Grant Tuer called a career-best performance—winning by a considerable margin over seven furlongs, something that suggested he could be even more dangerous over a mile. Tuer's observation is telling: Olly does not like being crowded, and when given room to stretch out, as he was from a high draw that day, he runs through to the line with real purpose. That is the sort of detail that separates a decent horse from one with genuine potential.

It is also worth noting that jockey Harrison Shaw has had particular success with him, winning three of their 15 races together—a rate of one win in five—suggesting they have developed a useful understanding. Class 5 racing has not worked (0 wins from 12 attempts), so Olly belongs in moderate company, and that is where his the yard are running him. The handicapper will have a view on last week's win, almost certainly raising his weight, but if Tuer is right that he still has room to improve at the longer distances and on his favourite ground, Highland Olly could yet prove a reliable earner for his yard.