Commanding Officer

What adds real weight to those numbers is who is doing the training. Charlie Appleby operates out of Newmarket and has sent out 121 winners already this season — a figure that puts his yard among the most productive in the country. When a stable is firing at that volume, it tends to mean horses are placed in races they can genuinely win, rather than simply making up the numbers. For Commanding Officer to be part of that team at three years old, still learning and developing, is a decent position to be in.

The recent form reads 6-1-4-3 going from most recent back, which tells an honest story — a win sandwiched between some less convincing efforts. That sixth-place finish last time out is worth watching, but a single below-par run at this stage of a career means very little, and with the Haydock win only eight months ago, there is every reason to think the best is still ahead. Three-year-olds improve more sharply than horses at any other age, and one who has already banked a win for one of Britain's strongest yards is a horse worth keeping an eye on through the summer.