Alcantor

What makes this horse worth watching, though, is who has the reins. André Fabre is one of the most decorated trainers in French racing, based out of Chantilly, and his yard has already sent out three winners this season. When a trainer of that calibre keeps faith with a horse through a long absence rather than moving it on, it tends to mean something. Whether Alcantor needed time to develop, time to recover, or simply time, the team clearly believe there's more to come.

A finish of fourth on debut is nothing to be ashamed of — plenty of good horses take a race or two to find their feet. The sixth that followed is less encouraging, but two races is a very small sample, and a horse returning after nearly a year away is essentially starting fresh. The question isn't what Alcantor has done — it's what the next run reveals.