THE amazing thing about Aidan O’Brien’s horses at this stage in the season is that we frequently get lulled into focusing on the flashy two-year-olds and get distracted from those that are developing behind, writes Page Fuller.

I think New Zealand fits perfectly into that category after his effort in the Autumn Stakes, and is a horse who will flourish next season.

In all three of his races, he has reached a peak stride length of more than eight metres. In fact, his peak stride length when winning at the Curragh in July was the largest of the whole meeting.

Fast forward to last Saturday, and he recorded both the largest peak and average stride lengths of the Autumn Stakes. His peak stride length of 8.23 metres was almost half a metre longer than each of his rivals.

It’s no surprise then that when the race turned into a sprint for home, it wasn’t best suited to him. He was the fastest horse through the final two furlongs, and his Finishing Speed Percentage of 105.29% was way above our Par of 100.62%.

Since he was sat towards the rear of the field, it gave him almost an impossible task, and he did very well under the circumstances to finish so close.

He is sure to fill his frame further for a winter break, and should thrive being able to make better use of his stride in a more conventional race. His brother finished second in the 2024 Chester Vase, so will we see him following in those footsteps?