La La Lucrative

The real story is where this horse comes alive. On normal ground, he wins roughly 1 in every 3 or 4 races — three wins from eleven attempts — which is a genuine strength in a horse racing only six or seven dozen times a year. More striking still is his stranglehold on Roscommon, where he has won twice from just four races. That is the sort of record that makes a trainer's eye light up when the race card gets sent round. His last win came there four months ago, suggesting he is the type who bounces back quickly between victories rather than needing long gaps to recover.

Robbie Colgan has ridden him twice and won on him twice, which tells you something about the partnership — when the jockey gets the leg up, good things tend to happen. Smith's yard is small but effective, having sent out eight winners already this season, and the trainer has clearly put thought into how to bring this sensitive horse along. After spending time learning over shorter distances, La La Lucitative appears to have found his sweet spot at seven furlongs to a mile, where he has won three times from sixteen races. He is no world-beater, but for a horse still only five, still racing at modest level, and still discovering where he belongs, he is trending in the right direction.