By Wootton Bassett, the sire behind some of the fastest and most precocious young horses in Europe, and out of a mare by the legendary Galileo, Speakers Corner carries two of the most influential names in modern breeding. Wootton Bassett tends to produce horses that are sharp early and quick enough to compete at the top level as two-year-olds, while Galileo's influence on the dam's side adds a layer of class and the suggestion that this horse might only improve with time. On paper, it is a genuinely exciting cross.
Then there is the trainer. Aidan O'Brien's operation in Cashel, Co Tipperary is one of the most powerful yards in the world, and this season alone it has sent out 125 winners — a number that reflects not just volume but a ruthless consistency at the highest level. When O'Brien runs a two-year-old for the first time, it is rarely an accident. Horses from this yard tend to arrive ready, and the best of them announce themselves immediately. Whether Speakers Corner is one of those horses, we are about to find out.