What there is, though, is breeding that would make your eyes water. The father is Frankel, widely regarded as the greatest racehorse of the modern era — unbeaten in all 14 of his races and so dominant at his peak that people who watched him still struggle to describe it properly. The mother is by Camelot, a classic-winning stallion whose offspring have shown they belong at the very highest level. Pedigree is never a guarantee, but this is about as strong a starting point as the sport can offer a young horse.
Then there is the trainer. Aidan O'Brien, based at Ballydoyle in Cashel, County Tipperary, is arguably the most powerful force in European racing. His yard has sent out 144 winners already this season alone — that is not a misprint. To put it in perspective, most trainers would consider 20 or 30 winners a fine year. When O'Brien decides a horse is ready to run, it is usually because something at home has caught his eye. He does not need to run horses to find out if they are any good; he has enough horses and enough staff that the trial runs happen long before a racecourse comes into view.
So Giant Sequoia arrives today as an unknown quantity with an almost unfair amount of quality stacked behind it — elite parentage and one of the sharpest operations in the world doing the preparation. Whether that translates into a winning debut nobody can say,