Shiyam

Second on debut is actually a perfectly decent starting point. It means Shiyam has already shown enough to suggest it can compete, without yet finding a way past the winner. Whether that changes next time out is the question everyone around the horse will be asking.

What does give genuine cause for optimism is who is doing the asking. Shiyam is trained by John and Thady Gosden out of Newmarket, one of the most powerful yards in British racing. The Gosden operation has sent out 140 winners already this season alone — that is not a stable that runs horses for the fun of it. When a yard of that calibre puts a two-year-old on the track, they tend to have a reason. Shiyam has a long way to go before its record amounts to much, but it is learning the job in exactly the right hands.