Explosion

The season's highlights came in quick succession. First, Explosion won a Class 2 race at Windsor in September — one of the better races you'll find outside the very top tier, and a significant scalp for a horse so early in its career. Two and a half weeks later, it followed that up with another win at Chelmsford. Back-to-back victories at that level, from a horse that had only just turned two, is a serious statement.

Behind Explosion stands Charlie Johnston, training out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire. Johnston's yard has sent out 129 winners this season alone — that's not a trainer who stumbles upon success, that's an operation running at serious volume and quality. When a yard like that puts a young horse into a Class 2 race and it wins, it tends to mean they've seen something worth believing in.

The one question mark is the gap. Explosion hasn't raced in roughly five months, returning now after a break that stretches back to that Chelmsford win in September. Whether that's routine freshening up or something more, we simply don't know. What we do know is that this horse arrives back with a clean slate, an impressive record, and a trainer who clearly knows where to place a horse to give it the best possible chance. Five races in, Explosion has done nothing wrong.