Jr Mahon

The trainer's comments after a recent outing at Leopardstown are worth paying attention to. He described the run as a lovely debut — Jr Mahon apparently took a while to figure out what was being asked of him, with the penny only dropping inside the final furlong and a half, but once it did, the horse finished through the line with real purpose. That kind of late surge, when a horse finally clicks into gear, is exactly what trainers look for in a young horse still learning its trade. Donoghue was cautious enough to skip a quick turnaround at Tipperary, preferring to give the horse a fortnight's rest before heading to Navan — a sign that the team is thinking long-term rather than chasing a win for its own sake.

The comparison Donoghue draws is an intriguing one. He says Jr Mahon reminds him strongly of Kinesiology, a horse from his yard last season, which suggests he has a clear picture in his mind of how this horse might develop. He also describes Jr Mahon as a middle-distance type — meaning a horse built for races of around a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half — which hints that the horse may simply not have been asked the right questions yet. Donoghue's yard has sent out 26 winners already this season, so this is not a trainer who lacks for confidence or ability. When someone with that kind of record says a horse is going to be lovely, it is at least worth watching what happens next at Navan.