Zillow

The Fairyhouse win is the one to focus on, and jockey Paul Townend told RTE exactly what made it complicated. Going to the second-last fence, Townend thought he was going to win comfortably. By the last, he was not so sure. When Zillow hit the front, the horse did not exactly surge clear — he idled, doing as little as he needed to. A rival fell at the last, which may have made life easier, but Townend was clear he would not have swapped mounts regardless. What the race showed, crucially, is that Zillow is becoming adaptable. Townend specifically noted the horse is proving versatile in terms of ground conditions, which in racing terms means you are not limited to waiting for the right weather — you can run when the opportunities come.

Trainer Faye Bramley, whose Lambourn yard has sent out 17 winners this season, has been quietly patient with this horse. Earlier in the season she noted that a run at Punchestown had found him out for stamina — he ran well for a long way before tiring badly, which she felt would bring him on. That is exactly what seems to have happened. The recent form figures tell a more complicated story: his last six runs read 7th, 15th, 18th, a non-finish, 15th, and then a win — which means this improvement has not come in a straight line. There have been some poor days buried in the recent record. But horses, like people, do not always improve neatly, and the Fairyhouse victory seven months ago suggests Bramley has something to work with as the new season builds.

Zillow is not yet a horse whose name commands attention at big festivals. But a yard in form, a jockey of Townend's calibre taking the ride, and a horse that is described as getting its act together — that combination is worth watching.