Newbrook Diamond

The first win came at Wexford on 3 July, and then — just over a fortnight later — Newbrook Diamond backed it up with a victory at Cartmel this week. Back-to-back wins like that, at different tracks in different countries, suggest a horse that has genuinely found its stride rather than getting lucky on one occasion. Cartmel, tucked into the Cumbrian countryside and one of the quirkiest venues in British racing, is not a track every horse takes to — so winning there carries a little extra weight.

One intriguing subplot is the record with regular jockey Jack Kennedy. Despite being on board for five of Newbrook Diamond's ten races, Kennedy has not yet ridden the horse to a win. Both victories came with someone else in the saddle. That is not necessarily a criticism of either horse or rider — sometimes partnerships just take time to fire — but it is the kind of detail that will not have gone unnoticed at Gordon Elliott's yard in Longwood, Co Meath.

Elliott is one of the most powerful trainers in Ireland, and this season his operation has been in typically dominant form, sending out 210 winners. A horse like Newbrook Diamond — a solid, consistent performer rather than a top-level star — is exactly the kind of animal that keeps a yard ticking over between the big occasions. With £74,000 in career earnings, this is not a horse chasing the richest prizes, but it earns its place in the string. Having raced just yesterday and with two wins in three weeks, Newbrook Diamond looks like a horse that is very much in the middle of its moment.