Paradise Walk

What makes that Windsor win particularly satisfying is the context. Four runner-up finishes in a row is the kind of sequence that tests everyone's patience — but it also shows a horse that belongs at the level it is competing at. Paradise Walk was not getting beaten out of sight; it was knocking on the door, race after race, until the door finally opened. That kind of consistency is actually quite rare, and it suggests a horse with a real engine, one that simply needed things to fall right.

The trainer behind all of this is Ralph Beckett, one of the most productive yards in Britain right now. Based at Kimpton in Hampshire, Beckett's operation has sent out 109 winners already this season — a remarkable output that puts it firmly among the elite stables in the country. Horses trained by Beckett tend to be well-placed and well-prepared, so the fact that Paradise Walk has been competitive in every race is no accident. With the win now banked and the team clearly in fine form, there is every reason to think this three-year-old is just getting started.