Jel Pepper

That Newmarket win deserves particular attention. Class 2 races sit just below the very elite tier of British racing, which means Jel Pepper was beating horses of genuine quality. Winning there as a three-year-old, at a track known for favouring fast, talented horses, is the kind of result that suggests there may be more to come. The recent form numbers — 6-6-4-1-7-4, reading from most recent backwards — show a horse that blows hot and cold, which is not unusual at this age. But that 1 in the sequence represents the Newmarket win, a reminder that when the conditions and the moment align, this horse can deliver something special.

Jel Pepper is trained by Oliver Cole at Whatcombe in Oxfordshire, a yard that has sent out 8 winners already this season, suggesting a team in decent form. Having last raced just one day ago, Jel Pepper is very much in the thick of an active campaign. The challenge now is whether the Newmarket performance was a peak moment or a sign of a horse still finding its best — and at three years old, there is every reason to think the answer could be the latter.