The Green Mile

The breakthrough came at Bath in mid-September last year, and since then The Green Mile has added victories at Kempton Park in late June. That Kempton win came three months ago now, making the recent return to racing feel like a natural next step rather than a panic move. Neil Mulholland's yard at Limpley Stoke, which has sent out 60 winners this season alone, clearly knows what it's doing with this horse — there's no sense of flapping or second-guessing in the training approach.

What stands out is the pattern of placed finishes. Five times from ten races, The Green Mile has finished in the money without winning, which tells you the horse is competing at a decent standard and holding its own against better animals regularly. The recent form line — a place, then a win, then a third, another win, a seventh, and a tenth — shows the kind of up-and-down racing you see from a horse still learning how to win at this level. With two wins in six recent runs, The Green Mile is knocking on the door hard enough that another success feels inevitable rather than unlikely.