Katalyst stepped into deeper waters at Kempton on Monday night and whilst there was no repeat of last month’s victory, our filly showed plenty of heart against a stronger field.

Back at the track where she got that thoroughly deserved first win on the board, Katalyst faced a much tougher assignment this time around. There were some smart, more highly rated horses around her but she rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in.

Partnered by Olivia Tubb for the first time, Katalyst was quickly into her stride and raced prominently, travelling with real purpose and putting herself right amongst them. When the race began to develop, she tried to go with the stronger horses around her. She was still battling as they straightened for home and although the pace eventually told inside the final furlong, she kept galloping all the way to the line.

WATCH: Olivia Tubb discuss her first ride on Katalyst at Kempton.

Katalyst finished seventh, just over five lengths behind the winner, but there was far more to take from this than the finishing position alone. This was our filly stepping up against better horses and having a proper go.There was plenty of quality around Katalyst on Monday night and she was taking on horses with significantly higher ratings than her own.

At the head of them was eventual winner Extraterrestrial, trained by Simon and Ed Crisford and ridden by Callum Rodriguez. The 71-rated colt had already shown a liking for Kempton and came into the race having finished just behind Sax Avoidance, over course and distance, on his previous start. This time he turned the tables, tracking the leaders before getting on top in the closing stages to win by half a length. Sax Avoidance lost little in defeat. Rated 74, he took the field along from the front and battled all the way to the line, while 73-rated Impossible Mission was just a neck further back in third.

There was strength further down the field too, with Sea Brave carrying the highest rating in the race at 75 and several of Katalyst’s other rivals lining up from marks in the high 60s and 70s.

Katalyst went into the race rated just 59. That puts her effort into perspective. Our filly was taking on horses with considerably more in hand on the ratings yet she rolled up her sleeves, got amongst them and was beaten just over five lengths. She might have been the outsider of the field at 50/1. She certainly didn’t run like one.

That is Katalyst all over. She has guts, she has heart and she is never afraid to get into a scrap. We saw it when she battled her way to victory here last month and we saw flashes of that same fighting spirit again on Monday night.

Chris Grassick was pleased with her run and came away with another thought about where we might see the best of her. Could it be time to go further?

WATCH: Chris Grassick contemplate what's next for Katalyst after her Kempton run.

Chris would like to step Katalyst up to a mile and a half next and there is something exciting about seeing what this tough filly can find when stamina starts to play a bigger part. She has already shown us she will dig deep when the race gets tough.

Now let’s give that big heart a little more ground to work with.