Aylin

The numbers are striking. From just four races, Aylin has won two and finished in the top three in every single one — a record of 2 wins and 4 places from 4 races, with recent form reading 1-3-1-2. That means finishing first, third, first, and second across those outings. Not a single wasted effort. Winning 1 in every 2 races is an exceptional ratio at any level, but doing it at Class 1 and Class 2 level — the sport's top tier — tells you this is a horse being aimed at the biggest occasions, not filled out on easier pickings.

Behind the horse is K R Burke, a trainer based at Coverham in North Yorkshire whose yard has sent out 139 winners already this season. That is not a yard that makes mistakes about where to place a horse, and the decision to pitch Aylin into top-level company so early suggests real belief in what they have on their hands.

The one thing worth watching is the time off. Aylin has not raced for around six months — roughly 199 days since that Doncaster win — and returning from a break always carries a question mark, even for talented horses. The fitness, the sharpness, the race-day edge: all of that needs to be rebuilt. But with a record this clean and a team this experienced, Aylin's comeback will be one of the more compelling storylines when it arrives.