How's Ellie

What makes the situation genuinely interesting, though, is who has her. W P Mullins — Willie Mullins — is one of the most decorated and feared names in the sport, operating out of Muine Bheag in County Carlow. His yard has sent out 215 winners already this season alone. That is not a misprint. To put it another way, Mullins is firing in winners at a pace most trainers could only dream of across an entire career. Horses in that stable are there for a reason, and they tend to get every possible chance to find their feet.

How's Ellie raced just yesterday, so she is very much an active project rather than a finished article. Three races is a small sample — plenty of horses take time to figure things out, and being in the Mullins yard means the right opportunities will come. Whether she can turn these near-misses into something more, only the next few runs will tell.