Supplicate

The win came at Lingfield Park back in December, and it is worth noting who is responsible for this horse's development. Roger Varian is one of the most respected trainers in Britain, operating out of Newmarket — the spiritual home of flat racing — and his yard has sent out 86 winners already this season alone. That is a serious operation, and the fact that Supplicate is part of it tells you something about the expectations quietly attached to this horse.

Now returning after a break of around three months, Supplicate heads back to the track with an open question hanging over it: can it build on that debut win? The layoff is not unusual at this age — two-year-olds are often given time to grow and settle between runs — but it does mean there is a small element of the unknown. What we do know is that this horse has already shown it can win, and it is in the hands of a team that knows exactly what it is doing.