Isaac Newton

Since that Goodwood win, he has ventured to France and found it tougher, finishing fourth and fifth in a pair of races there. That might look like a step backward on paper, but his trainer Aidan O'Brien — one of the most powerful operations in European racing, having sent out 144 winners already this season — is not concerned. O'Brien has been clear that he believes Isaac Newton is significantly better than his recent form in France suggests, and that there is meaningful improvement still to come.

The really interesting detail is the distance conversation. O'Brien sees this horse as a mile-and-a-quarter to mile-and-a-half type — longer trips than he has raced over so far. That matters, because the big summer prizes for three-year-olds are run over exactly those distances. The question now is which route he takes: the Derby at Epsom, arguably the most famous flat race in the world, or a tilt at Royal Ascot, where prestige and prize money are stacked at every turn. O'Brien has indicated he may not be the yard's number-one Derby hope, but being considered at all puts Isaac Newton in elite company. Either way, he is a horse worth keeping an eye on as the summer heats up.