Joe Cool

What works in his favour is the team behind him. Noel Meade's yard in Castletown, Co Meath, has sent out 41 winners already this season — that is the output of a stable that knows how to get a horse ready to perform. Meade is one of the more patient operators in Irish racing, and horses from that yard tend to arrive at the track prepared rather than rushed. The fact that Joe Cool is still active and was racing just two weeks ago suggests the team see something worth persevering with.

Three races is a very small sample. Some horses take half a dozen tries before everything clicks — the pace, the trip, the ground, the draw all have to line up at once. A second place already hints there is ability there. Whether Joe Cool can convert that into a win soon is the question, but with a yard of this quality pointing him at races, the answer may not be far away.