The real measure of potential lies with trainer John Joseph Murphy, whose yard has already sent out 8 winners this season. That kind of record suggests a team that knows how to prepare a horse properly and pick the right moment to run. For a debut, that matters. There is no form to analyse, no pattern of behaviour under pressure, nothing but the question mark that every racecourse debut carries. Marked By Thunder will either take to it naturally or learn from the experience. Either way, this is the beginning of the story.