Night Raider

The transformation has a clear cause. Night Raider was gelded earlier this year, and trainer K R Burke says the operation has been revelatory. Before that, the horse was edgy and fractious, so keen and free that when they tried to stretch him to a mile and run him in the Guineas—one of Britain's top races—he was too wound up to perform. Since gelding, Burke reports he has dropped 10kg and looks transformed in the paddock. The temperament change has unlocked what was always there: a horse with, in Burke's words, "a huge engine" and "a lot of natural ability."

Ground conditions suit him perfectly. He has won all three races he has contested on normal ground, which is a perfect record and suggests he dislikes extremes of wet or dry. He also performs best over 7 furlongs to a mile, winning 2 of 3 races at that distance. Where he does struggle is at the highest level: at Class 1, he has won just 1 of 9 races. Newcastle's Class 1 win therefore stands out as a genuine achievement on the biggest stage. Jockey Daniel Tudhope, who rides him regularly, has a 40% win rate with the horse—2 wins from 5 races—suggesting Burke trusts him to get the best out of him. The yard, based in North Yorkshire, has been prolific this season with 145 winners, but Night Raider has become one of its most improved performers.