Hawk Mountain

His breakthrough win came in August at The Curragh, and he followed that with a Class 1 victory in the Futurity Trophy at Doncaster in October — a genuinely top-tier race. After that win, O'Brien's team has been plotting a path toward either Epsom or the French Derby, with the trainer leaning towards the latter. Hawk Mountain was run at Chantilly recently as a trial for the French Derby, where he finished in the top 3 but was still visibly green and inexperienced in the race itself. Jockey Christophe Soumillon noted how babyish he remained, suggesting there is real room for development. The horse made the running from an unfavourable draw but may have overraced in the early stages; softer ground would likely suit him better. With only a handful of races under his belt and obvious improvement still to come, Hawk Mountain looks like a genuine classic contender in the making, trained by one of racing's master handlers and clearly improving with every outing.