The trainer is Aidan P O'Brien, whose yard at Cashel in County Tipperary has already sent out 144 winners this season alone. To put that in perspective, most trainers would consider 20 or 30 winners in a year a fine return — 144 from a single yard is a staggering number and a reminder that this is one of the most powerful racing operations on the planet. When a horse with this kind of breeding steps out for the first time under O'Brien's care, it tends to attract attention for good reason. Whether Christmas Carol lives up to that promise is something only the racecourse can answer.