Max d'Airy

He arrived at Nicholls' famous yard in Ditcheat, Somerset after running twice in France, where he finished second on his most recent outing — a Flat race over a mile and a half in the French provinces. He has not won yet from his two races, but a runner-up finish at least shows he is competitive, and horses who come over from France at this age are typically being bought with jumping in mind. The French provinces are a well-established production line for jumping talent, and Nicholls is one of the trainers best placed to develop it.

The yard itself is operating at a remarkable level right now — 92 winners already this season, which is the kind of number that puts Nicholls in a different conversation from almost everyone else in British racing. Sending a horse to Ditcheat is a bit like enrolling in the best school in the country. The infrastructure, the experience, and the track record are all there. Max d'Airy has only been on the premises for a matter of weeks, having spent a fortnight in quarantine after crossing the Channel, so Nicholls is candid that he is only just beginning to learn what the horse can do. That honesty is actually reassuring — it means expectations are not being inflated before the horse has earned it.

With just two races on the clock and a new country, a new trainer, and presumably a new discipline ahead of him, Max d'Airy is very much a work in progress. But the profile fits: young, lightly raced, French-bred