Ndaawi

The career arc is a good one. His first win came at Goodwood in August 2022, followed almost immediately by a Class 2 success at Epsom — one of the top races in Britain — just a month later. Those early wins on fast, dry ground in England signalled a horse with real ability, and Elliott's yard has clearly always believed there was more to come. The trainer has spoken about Ndaawi hitting the crossbar in plenty of big races before things finally fell his way, which tells you this is a horse who has been competitive at the highest level without always getting the result. That kind of near-miss history makes a win, when it comes, feel earned.

The big one arrived at Galway — a Galway Hurdle victory that came through a stewards' inquiry, which Elliott himself admitted felt bittersweet given his friendship with the trainer of the horse initially first past the post. Rules are rules, as he said, and Ndaawi deserved it. On normal ground, the horse is a different animal entirely: four wins from seven races, a 57% success rate, which is remarkable when you consider that most horses at this level win fewer than one in five. He also finds his best form at a mile to a mile and a quarter, winning two of his four races over that distance.

His record in the very top races — Class 1 — is still blank, zero wins from five attempts, which is the one question mark hanging over him. But the trajectory is right. Elliott has already flagged a Graded hurdle as the next target, and there is talk of the Flat offering another big day out. Most tellingly, Ndaawi won just this week at Listowel, and with Elliott's yard having sent out 210 winners already this season, this is a team firing on all cylinders. Jack Kennedy, who partners him most often and has won two of their nine races together, knows the horse well. The next chapter looks genuinely interesting.