Puerto Rico

The recent form makes for interesting reading too. Reading right to left — 4, 2, 2, 2, 4, then 1 — you can see a horse that was consistently knocking on the door, finishing second three times in a row before finally breaking through at the highest level. That kind of pattern, placing repeatedly before winning, often means a horse that is honest and consistent rather than flashy, one that turns up and competes but needs the right race to come together. At Doncaster, it clearly did.

Puerto Rico is now six months into a break, having not raced since that Doncaster victory in September. That is a significant absence, and it means whoever watches this horse return will be seeing it fresh after its best-ever performance. Whether it comes back to the same level is the real question. The horse is trained by A P O'Brien at Cashel in County Tipperary, one of the most formidable yards in the sport — a stable that has sent out 145 winners already this season alone. That kind of operation does not enter horses in top races by accident, and they tend to know exactly what they have on their hands.

A three-year-old with a Class 1 win already on its record, trained by one of racing's great names, returning from a rest — there is plenty to be curious about here.