Rock Montreal

The horse broke its duck at Great Yarmouth on 14 August and has barely put a foot wrong since. After a second-place finish, it won again at Newmarket on 10 October, then ran well enough to be placed in its most recent race just a day ago. That kind of consistency so early in a racing career — placed or better in every single start — is exactly the sort of record that gets trainers and owners dreaming about better races ahead.

Roger Varian's Newmarket yard is one of the sharpest operations in Britain this season, having sent out 87 winners already. The fact that Rock Montreal is training there, and has now won two races in quick succession, suggests Varian sees genuine potential. At two years old with three races under its belt, the horse is still very much finding its feet, but everything about the pattern so far — the early wins, the recent form, the placement in every outing — points to a horse that knows what it is doing on the track.