Kodiak Breeze

The first win came at Redcar in May, which was a promising start, but it is what has happened since that sharpens the picture. A second place kept the momentum going before Kodiak Breeze returned to winning ways at Thirsk just this week — raced only yesterday, in fact, so this is a horse in the middle of a hot streak rather than one coasting on past glories. Winning twice at two different tracks suggests this is not a horse who only performs on one particular piece of ground or in one specific situation; there is a versatility there that trainers love to see early on.

Behind the horse is Kevin Ryan, one of the most reliable operators in the north of England, based at Hambleton in North Yorkshire. His yard has already sent out 45 winners this season, which tells you this is not a small operation getting lucky — it is a well-run stable that knows how to place young horses in the right races at the right time. When a yard like that keeps coming back to a horse, it usually means they think highly of what they have got. With Kodiak Breeze, that confidence looks well-placed.