Minerva

What stands out in her recent form is the consistency before that win. Reading her last six runs in reverse — a ninth, then two seconds, a second again, a third, and finally that first-place finish — you can see a horse gradually finding her feet and peaking at the right moment. The ninth is the one blip, but everything either side of it suggests she is competitive more often than not.

She is trained by Aidan P O'Brien at Cashel in County Tipperary, which is one of the most powerful racing operations in the world. The yard has sent out 145 winners already this season alone — that is not a number you stumble into, that is a machine built to produce racehorses at the highest level. Being part of that setup means Minerva has access to world-class facilities and expertise, and it also means expectations are high. Horses from this yard tend to be placed carefully and pointed at races they can win.

The one thing to keep an eye on is the absence. Minerva has not raced for around five months, since that winning run at Leopardstown last October. A break that long can mean many things — a planned rest, a minor setback, patient management — but it does mean she returns a little unknown. The form that earned her that win will need to still be there. First runs back after a long absence can be ring-rusty affairs, or they can see a horse come back sharper than ever. With a yard sending out winners at this rate, they will have a clear sense of where she stands.