Action

Jockey Wayne Lordan, speaking after the race, described a horse still finding his feet in front — a big, scopey animal who spent his time in the lead having a look around rather than knuckling down. The last 50 yards, though, Lordan felt him click into a higher gear and hit the line well. That combination of greenness and raw ability is exactly what you want to see in a young horse with bigger targets ahead.

Those bigger targets are very much on the agenda. Trainer Aidan O'Brien — whose yard at Cashel in County Tipperary has sent out 144 winners already this season, a number that puts it among the most powerful operations in European racing — has spoken openly about Action's future. After the horse finished second to Hawk Mountain in the Futurity Trophy, one of the top races in Britain for young horses of this age, O'Brien described the run as very good and named the Epsom Derby as the goal. A trial at Chester or Leopardstown is likely to come first, giving the horse race experience before the big day.

That Futurity Trophy placing is the key detail. Finishing second in a race of that level, behind a horse good enough to win it, tells you Action is competing at the very top end of his generation. His recent form reads 4-2-3-1-3 — consistent without being flashy, the record of a horse still learning rather than one that has found his ceiling. At three years old, with a classic-winning trainer pointing him at Epsom, there is every reason to think the best is still to come.