Res Ipsa

That long absence is the most interesting thing here. Seven months is a significant chunk of a horse's racing year, and it means Res Ipsa is essentially returning as an unknown quantity. Whether the break was planned or forced by injury or setback, we simply don't know — but it means the horse stepping back onto a racecourse will be doing so with very little on its public record to guide expectations.

What does offer some encouragement is the yard behind it. Trainer G M Lyons, based in Co Meath, has sent out 50 winners already this season — that's a serious operation by any measure, not a yard that fills races with horses going nowhere. When a trainer of that calibre has kept a horse in training through a lengthy break, it's usually because they believe there's something worth persevering with. Whether Res Ipsa can justify that patience is the question worth watching.