Madness d'Elle

And there are reasons to believe. Mullins watched Madness d'Elle race over hurdles at Auteuil in France during the summer and came away genuinely encouraged, describing the performance as full of promise. The name Mullins dropped as a potential target? The Triumph Hurdle — one of the most prestigious races in the calendar for young hurdlers, run at the Cheltenham Festival. That is not a race trainers mention casually. It tells you exactly what kind of ceiling this horse's team thinks it has.

The most recent run, at Gowran Park just yesterday, added texture to the picture. Jockey Paul Townend was candid: the race was run at a crawling pace, which gave Madness d'Elle — described as "lairy", meaning edgy and easily distracted — too much time to think and fidget. Once Townend got him balanced and into a proper rhythm, the jumping improved and his experience showed. A dash over the final two furlongs still left them tired at the line, but Townend's verdict was warm rather than downbeat. "He is a grand horse," he said, and in racing, that kind of quiet confidence from a top jockey means something.

Six races, no wins, two places — the numbers are modest. But the context tells a different story. This is a young, slightly raw horse being pointed at a top-level target by one of the best trainers in the sport. The learning curve is steep, the company will be tough, but the ambition is real. Worth watching.