Holloway Boy

The six-year-old is trained by Karl Burke at his yard in Coverham, North Yorkshire, which has sent out 140 winners already this season — a serious operation by any measure. Burke has been open about the fact that Holloway Boy has always had talent to burn, but also a habit of doing just enough. "He saves a little bit for himself," Burke said after the Haydock win, which is trainer-speak for a horse that coasts when it can get away with it. The good news is that when the race truly demands something, he delivers it.

His most recent win came at Kempton just five months ago, on an all-weather track in a top-level race, where jockey William Buick described him pulling out more every time he was challenged. Buick also noted that Holloway Boy had been racing against some of the best horses in the world in Dubai — Nations Pride and Romantic Warrior are genuinely elite — which puts his level in sharp context. This is not a horse picking up easy wins in modest company.

What's next looks similarly ambitious. Burke brought him back early from another winter campaign in Dubai, and the plan is either a Listed race at Ascot in early May or, if the invitation comes, a trip to Hong Kong for the Mile. Buick went further, saying it wouldn't surprise him to see Holloway Boy win one of the big Dubai races outright. High praise from a jockey who rides at the very top of the sport. One note of curiosity: regular partner Sam James has ridden him nine times without a win between them, while his biggest moments have come with other jockeys in the saddle. Whether that changes this summer remains to be seen.