Gstaad

The horse was first through the gate at Navan in May last year, then returned within days to win at The Curragh in normal ground conditions. He loves a standard racing surface and has won two of three races on it, a preference that matters more than it might seem — it tells you which tracks and seasons will suit him best. But his real statement came in June when he won a Class 1 race at Ascot, one of Britain's toughest tests. For a three-year-old still learning his trade, that victory announced something the form figures already suggested: this is a genuinely good horse.

His trainer, Aidan O'Brien — who has sent 125 winners into the ring from his Cashel yard this season alone — sees Gstaad as an English or Irish 2,000 Guineas prospect, a race for the best milers of his generation. O'Brien noted after one narrow defeat that age and strength will come, and the impression from the stable is of a horse who hasn't yet shown everything. His recent form has been mixed — three finishes outside the top three in his last six races — but the trainer's assessment carries weight: Gstaad has been a touch unlucky in Europe, and there are hints of even more to come.