Johanna Walsh

She is trained by Joseph Patrick O'Brien at Owning Hill in County Kilkenny, one of the most powerful yards in Irish racing. O'Brien's operation has sent out 171 winners already this season alone — a number that puts the scale of the stable into perspective. When a horse earns a place in that string, it is because the team believes it has real ability. Johanna Walsh's recent form reads 2-1-3-3, meaning her last four races have all produced a top-three finish, with that Leopardstown victory sitting right in the middle of the sequence.

Having raced as recently as yesterday and with her only win coming just six weeks ago, this is a horse whose story is very much still being written. Four races is a small sample, but the pattern so far — never beaten far, always competitive — suggests a horse that travels through her races well and finds something when it matters. Whether she can build on that Leopardstown win and take on tougher company will be the question to watch as the season develops.