Precise

Her recent form shows a filly in genuine peak condition. In her last six races she has won three, placed second twice, and finished fourth once — only a seventh-place finish interrupting an otherwise flawless run. She raced just yesterday, which means she is an active, frequently campaigned horse rather than one being nursed through a recovery. Last June at Ascot she scored the most recent of her victories, and O'Brien has spoken about bringing her along gently after a minor illness knocked her back. The trainer has described her as "special" and "a different gear" — language she does not deploy lightly — and noted that she has been improving with every outing. What makes this more than just trainer talk is that she has beaten top-class opposition to prove it: two of her six wins came in Class 1 races, the kind of elite competitions where only the best horses compete. The filly earned those victories at Newmarket in October and Goodwood in August, tracks and occasions that matter in racing.

O'Brien's yard has sent out 125 winners already this season, evidence of a training operation in outstanding form. For a homebred — a horse bred within the stable rather than purchased — to reach this level of achievement is rarer than it looks, and the trainer has acknowledged the near-impossibility of breeding a top-class horse. Precise, however, has made it look easy.