Greek Order

What makes him interesting is the recent commentary from the yard. Michael Bell's Newmarket operation acquired him from a sale at Keeneland roughly a month before the trainer spoke, and Bell suggested then that Greek Order was a very interesting prospect despite his American stint. The horse had run competitively in the States, beaten only two lengths in an allowance race despite being posted six widths out for the entire contest—not bad for a horse whose the yard felt he had been badly treated tactically. He was entered for the Royal Hunt Cup, a famous handicap at Royal Ascot, running off 95, which was exactly the mark he carried when he ran a close second in the Cambridgeshire as a three-year-old. That's the kind of form line that suggests he has class on his day.

Bell's son Nick, who bought him, clearly saw something worth pursuing. The horse is most effective at around a mile and three to four furlongs, where he has won one of five races, and tends to race in Class 2 company, though he has never won at that level in seven attempts. With Ryan Moore in the saddle—their record stands at one win from five rides together—he shows a 20 per cent win rate, better than his overall figures. At six, and lightly raced by top standards, there may yet be another chapter. But the clock is ticking, and recent form suggests he is a horse waiting for the right race rather than one in an obvious upward trajectory.