Arch Empire

What makes Arch Empire worth watching right now is the trainer's read on him. Gordon Elliott — whose yard at Longwood in County Meath has sent out an extraordinary 209 winners this season alone, making it one of the most powerful operations in Irish racing — believes the horse ran a big race at Cheltenham recently, looking like he was going to win before the distance got the better of him in the closing stages. That is not a small thing. Cheltenham is one of the most demanding tracks in the world, and a horse that comes there and threatens to win has shown something real. The conclusion Elliott has drawn is straightforward: drop back to two miles, where the horse won't be asked to grind out every last yard, and he becomes genuinely competitive at a decent level.

Despite being ridden five times by Jack Kennedy — one of the top jump jockeys in Ireland — the pair haven't yet managed to get a win together, which adds a slightly frustrating subplot to the story. Arch Empire raced just yesterday, so he is firmly in the middle of an active campaign, and if Elliott's two-mile plan comes together, a horse that wins roughly 1 in every 15 races on his overall record could suddenly start looking like a much smarter bet. A trainer with 209 winners in a season doesn't drop hints about a horse being "very competitive" without meaning it.