Mohaab

The most interesting number in his record is what happens when he races over a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs. At those longer distances he has won 1 from 3 — that is one in every three races, a return that stands in sharp contrast to his overall record of roughly 1 win in every 11 outings. In other words, when Mohaab gets a proper test of stamina, he becomes a different proposition. The Nottingham win came at that sort of trip, and it suggests that the yard — sorry, that the team — have identified where he belongs.

His regular jockey Lewis Edmunds has been on board for 6 of his 11 races but is yet to be in the saddle for a victory. That is not necessarily a reflection on either horse or rider — sometimes the right race at the right trip simply takes time to find — but the breakthrough eventually came without that particular partnership in place. His recent form of 4-1-5-6-4-9 tells the story of a horse who blows hot and cold, capable of finishing second but also capable of trailing home at the back of the field. He raced just yesterday, which means he is being kept busy, and that Nottingham win two weeks ago gives him something to build on heading into whatever comes next.