Avicenna

Both of his victories have come at Doncaster, and that detail matters. Some horses are consistent enough anywhere; others find a track that seems to unlock something in them. For Avicenna, Doncaster has been the stage for everything good so far. He won there first in August 2025, then came back in September and won a Class 1 race by a nose — a margin that sounds narrow but, in a race of that quality, tells you a horse who competes and fights. His trainer Roger Varian noted afterwards that he was "strong through the line," which is exactly what you want to see from a young horse learning the game.

Varian, who is based in Newmarket and has sent out 87 winners already this season, has been measured but genuine in his enthusiasm. After that Class 1 win, he was careful not to overstate things — "he's just won a Listed by a nose, we don't need to get carried away" — but by spring 2026, his tone had shifted. He described being "really happy" with the horse in recent weeks and floated the idea of the Craven or the Greenham as a next step, two races that typically serve as warm-ups for the 2,000 Guineas. Avicenna is entered in the English, Irish, French, and German versions of that race, which tells you the team believe, at minimum, that the horse belongs in that conversation.

The most recent form figure — a 14th-place finish — sits oddly against everything else, and is a reminder that Avicenna is still finding his feet. Varian himself has said he needs more match practice, and a horse who has only raced four times is still very much a work in progress. But the upside is obvious. A 50% win rate, a top-level victory, and a trainer quietly building towards one of the biggest races of the season: there is plenty here to follow.