Manton Bay

That win at Dundalk came after a sixth-place finish on debut, which is exactly the kind of learning curve you'd expect from a young horse finding its feet. One win and one place from two races gives Manton Bay a 50% win rate — wins in half of all races it has ever entered — which is a genuinely promising ratio at this early stage. Most horses take far longer to get off the mark.

What makes the next chapter interesting is the gap. Manton Bay hasn't raced in roughly four months, so this return will be watched closely — particularly by those who follow the yard of trainer David Marnane, based in Bansha, County Tipperary. Marnane has been in excellent form this season, sending out 16 winners, which tells you this is a yard that knows how to have a horse ready when it needs to be. A team like that doesn't bring a young horse back without believing it's in good shape.

Two races is too small a sample to draw sweeping conclusions, but what Manton Bay does have is a win already on the board and a trainer in form. For a two-year-old only just beginning its story, that's a solid place to start from.