Panic Attack

Three of those recent wins have come in Class 1 races — the very best company in Britain — including two at Newbury in the space of seven weeks and one at Cheltenham. Newbury in particular seems to suit her perfectly: 2 wins from just 3 visits, a record that suggests the track brings something out in her. Cheltenham, meanwhile, is where it all started back in April 2022, and she returned there in November to win again, more than three years on. Horses that can win at Cheltenham at both ends of their career tend to be something special.

Her trainer Dan Skelton, who runs one of Britain's most successful yards — 194 winners already this season alone — has spoken about barely being able to believe where Panic Attack has ended up. A rating of 147 is elite territory, and Skelton is aiming her at the Mares' Chase at the Cheltenham Festival, one of the most prestigious races in the jumping calendar. The owner has also dangled the idea of the Grand National at Aintree, describing it as a possibility if not a probability, and Skelton has been enthusiastic about her jumping ability making her a natural fit for that kind of test.

Her regular jockey Tom Scudamore has won just 1 of their 7 races together — roughly 1 in 7 — which on paper looks modest, but the trajectory of recent months suggests that number may be about to change. She raced 26 days ago and is firmly in training for a big spring campaign. At ten years old, with a career suddenly ablaze, Panic Attack is the kind of horse whose next chapter is genuinely worth watching.