Lambourn

Yet Lambourn's form is nuanced, and understanding it requires knowing his preferences. On normal ground, he is nearly unstoppable: five wins from six races means he wins roughly four times out of every five when the surface suits him. The picture changes on softer or faster ground—he struggles there. He also has a sweet spot in distance. At 1m6f to 2m, he has won three of five races, a 60 percent return that shows he is genuinely dangerous over the mile-and-three-quarters to two-mile range. Go shorter or much longer, and his edge dulls.

What complicates his profile is what happened when he was stepped up to two miles and three furlongs at Doncaster—a top-level test. His jockey Sean Levey said afterward he did not feel the horse stayed the trip, questioning whether he got home. Before that, Lambourn had won Epsom and Chester, so the yard was confident he could handle the extra yardage. The Doncaster run suggests he may not be a true marathon runner. That is valuable information for his trainer A P O'Brien, who has won over a hundred races this season from his Cashel base in Ireland and clearly has Lambourn marked down as a serious prospect. Over the correct distance, on ground that plays to his strengths, this horse has shown he can win anywhere. That is why he remains genuinely interesting.