Northern Champion

What makes Northern Champion interesting is its recent geography and the pattern emerging from how it runs. Early this year the horse went to Dubai and won twice at Meydan, proving it could travel and perform at a top level. The jockey Kieren Shoemark noted after the first Dubai win that Northern Champion "hit the line strongly" despite making errors — the suggestion being there is room for improvement. Back in Britain, it showed it loves normal ground, winning 3 of its last 4 races on that surface. Its trainer Ed Walker, based at Upper Lambourn in Berkshire and a outfit that has sent out 76 winners this season, was planning to target the Commonwealth Cup and suggested a stepping-stone race at the Sandy Lane Stakes at Haydock to get it back on track.

With a win just five days ago and clear evidence that normal ground brings out its best, Northern Champion looks like a horse with something to prove at the next level. At three years old, it is still discovering what it is capable of, and the improvement Walker hinted at has already started to show.