Causeway

The one blip on the record — a fourth place finish — actually tells an important part of the story. Aidan O'Brien, who trains Causeway at his famous yard in Cashel, County Tipperary, has been open about the fact that the horse took a race just to find its feet. He was, by the trainer's own description, a little lazy in his early days. What followed has been five consecutive wins, the most recent of which came at Ascot just this week — Royal Ascot being one of the most prestigious race meetings in the world. That is quite a trajectory.

O'Brien's yard has sent out 138 winners already this season, which puts it among the very busiest and most successful operations in European racing. When a stable of that calibre starts talking about a horse in glowing terms, it is worth paying attention. O'Brien has described Causeway as brave — "he stuck his head out" is how he put it — and has indicated the horse is comfortable over a mile and could well stay further. The Guineas, one of the most celebrated Classic races in Ireland, has also been mentioned as a potential target.

The Curragh, Ireland's most famous flat racing track, has become something of a home course for Causeway. Three races there, three wins — a perfect record at a venue where the very best horses in the country line up. Winning there once is an achievement; winning there three times from three attempts at three years old points to a horse that handles the track instinctively and performs on the big stage. O'Brien's post-race comments after one of those Curragh wins were notably relaxed: "He's ready. He's done his prep for it now." That is the language of a trainer who knows he has something special on his hands and is simply waiting for the right moment to show it.