What we do know is where this horse comes from. On the father's side, Mehmas was a sharp, speedy two-year-old who won at the highest level in Britain and went on to become a popular stallion — he tends to pass on that early pace and a willingness to perform young. The mother's side brings Frozen Power into the picture, another influence associated with speed and precocity. On paper, this is a horse built to hit the ground running rather than one who will need time to find its feet.
The trainer is Aidan P O'Brien, based at Ballydoyle in Cashel, County Tipperary — one of the most famous racing yards on the planet. To put the operation in context, the yard has already sent out 144 winners this season alone. That is not a number, it is a statement. Very few stables anywhere in the world operate at that kind of volume at that level of quality simultaneously. When a horse walks out of Ballydoyle for the first time, it has been prepared by a team that has done this with champions. That counts for something, even when the form book is blank.