With the first Classics of the season on the horizon, Declan Rix spoke to a range of industry professionals, from jockeys to trainers to bloodstock experts, along with some in the media, and asked for a horse to follow for the 2026 Flat season. Some people were in such good form, they nominated two!
Below, are nearly 40 Flat horses to follow, in alphabetical order, with a small bit of crossover, some horses clearly excepted to have a big year, featuring more than once.
ABASHIRI (Hugh Taylor, attheraces.com tipster)
‘I'm not generally a fan of the "horses to follow" concept, for the reason that, in my view, it's best for punters to use the Bayesian approach of adjusting their opinion with each new piece of evidence - so in the case of racehorses, after each run. However, Abashiri was not only tremendously impressive when winning her sole two-year-old start at Kempton, but her striding in that race strongly suggested she will be seen to best effect when tackling 1m2f-1m4f. That's not to say she'll be out of place if starting off in the 1000 Guineas, as appears to be the plan at the time of writing, but she's very much one to be interested in when tackling further.’
ALBERT EINSTEIN (Seb Sanders, ex-Champion Jockey and now Sky Sports Racing Pundit)
‘I’m willing to keep the faith with Albert Einstein, but as a sprinter. I still could see him running well in the Guineas, because it looks like Aidan O’Brien has been bringing him nicely along without getting him to peak. I think he’s got a tonne of speed however, so sprinting is where he might prove happiest.’
AMILOC (Rossa Ryan, Jockey)
‘I’m hoping Amiloc will have a good year having done well over the winter. He had a solid season last year and I would hope with him being by Postponed, that he will be better at four.’
BIG LEADER (PJ McDonald, Jockey)
‘My horse to follow for the year would be Big Leader. He ran four times last year and won three before finishing second in a competitive handicap at York. He got a little leg injury after that meaning we had to back off him at the end of the season but he’s come back big and strong and could potentially be a Group horse going forward so I’m really looking forward to him.’
CALENDAR GIRL (Sam Hoskins, Racing Manager for Kennet Valley Syndicates)
‘Our most exciting prospect for the season is Calendar Girl, although she has had a delay to her campaign which tempers my positivity somewhat. That said, she’s the most exciting juvenile turning three we’ve had in a long time having won the Oh So Sharp Stakes last year. She’s a big, scopey filly and done well from two to three. Once right, we hope she can scale the heights for her very good trainer Owen Burrows. She won’t be out before Royal Ascot but she’s our great white hope.’
CONVERGENT (Hayley Moore, Sky Sports Racing Presenter)
‘The turn of foot we saw from Convergent at Newbury in the John Porter was impressive. This was after getting trapped down the inside and looking like he was in trouble. The way he ran through the line and couldn’t be pulled up showed how classy he is.’
CONVERGENT (Sam James, Jockey) (quote taken pre-John Porter Stakes win)
‘Convergent is a horse who is going really well at the moment. He’s strengthened up a lot having obviously had some good form last year as a three-year-old. He’s a horse I’m excited to see and starts his season in the John Porter.’
COPPULL (David Probert, Jockey)
'My pick for this year would be Coppull after his two-year-old campaign where he was only getting better throughout that year. After winning the Richmond Stakes well and running well in the Middle Park, he looks physically stronger this year and will hopefully have another great season.'
CREST OF FIRE (David Probert, Jockey)
‘My next choice is a horse that only won his maiden last week called Crest Of Fire. He’s a lovely looking horse and feel as though he will mature after his win last week. He looks to have some nice handicaps that he could aim for having been promising last year and this year he looks even better to progress again.’
DAMYSUS (James Doyle, Jockey)
‘Damysus is my horse to follow for the year. I’ve been galloping him a few times throughout the spring and he feels like a different horse this year, much stronger and possibly quicker. It was lovely to see that all backed up on the track in the Earl Of Sefton. He has a few options trip wise at the top level so let’s see where he goes.’
DOUBLE RUSH (Jason Watson, Jockey) (quote taken pre-Newmarket win)
‘A horse to follow for the year is Double Rush. He was quite a progressive horse in the early stages of last season but another year on his back will have benefitted him. We’ve been very happy with how he has been working this spring and has the potential to climb the ladder and become a top-notch horse.’
ELEMENTS OF FIRE (Simon Mapletoft, attheraces.com writer and Sky Sports Racing Presenter)
‘Bought out of the powerful Gosden stable in the autumn, this 4yo rattled up a hat-trick on the All-Weather for Archie Watson and can prove a force in some of the big 7f handicaps including the Victoria Cup at Ascot in May.’
EMMELEIA (Kevin Blake, attheraces.com tipster/writer & Joesph O’Brien Racing Manager)
‘Beat a subsequent impressive winner when making a winning return at Dundalk in April. Lots to like about the way she goes about it and looks a smart prospect for middle distances.’
EXTREMELY ZAIN (Mark McStay, Bloodstock expert)
‘Owned by Shiekh Juma Dalmook Al Maktoum, Extremely Zain won really well on debut for William Haggas. A breeze up graduate from the new Goffs sale last June, he showed a lot of promise on debut and is in the right hands.’
EXTREMELY ZAIN (Simon Rowlands, attheraces.com writer)
‘Extremely Zain beat little in a novice at Newcastle in December on his only start but he beat them senseless, with some decidedly useful splits and while exhibiting an enormous stride for a youngster on what was quite a slow surface. William Haggas can be expected to campaign him shrewdly, possibly with an eye on 7f/8f handicaps for 3yos to begin with, and maybe even something better further ahead.’
FORTY YEARS ON (George Scott, Trainer)
‘Forty Years On is a consistent filly who was arguably unlucky not to sign off the season with a win last year. She’s a filly that will relish soft ground and all being well, I expect her to be competing in Stakes races later in the year.’
GLACIUS (Neil Callan, Jockey)
‘My horse to follow is Glacius who is in training with Hugo Palmer. I won on him first up and he then ran well behind Bow Echo and Publish at Haydock. He ran another big race at Newmarket in the Autumn Stakes and I’ve always thought he’d make a really nice three-year-old.’
GOLDINTHESEA (Callum Rodriquez, Jockey)
‘Goldinthesea is an exciting three-year-old for the season in training with Ed Bethell. He’s two wins from three starts and won nicely at Southwell recently. I’d hope he can keep progressing through the year’.
GONE BY (Alex Elliott, Bloodstock expert)
‘Gone By is a Gleneagles filly we bought in France at an October sale and is a horse who has always given me a good feeling. She was second on debut at Newbury to A La Prochaine - who is another filly I bought as a foal, and Ralph (Beckett) thinks a lot of both fillies. She broke slowly this day, but got into it nicely and the fact she got beat means we can still go for a maiden and hopefully work our way through the grades. Gone By is a little backwards in her coat currently, but I really think she is a filly who can develop throughout the year and into the autumn, hopefully developing into a Stakes horse.’
HAVANA ANNA (James Flaherty, attheraces.com tipster and writer)
‘I like the Cheveley Park form with a view to this season. Havana Anna was a big improver last year and even though she disappointed on her final start at the Breeders’ Cup, her penultimate effort behind True Love reads well. The sprinting division remains an open one and she could make her mark against the older horses later in the season, after the Commonwealth Cup at Royal Ascot. She could easily drop back to the minimum too as she travels powerfully in her races.’
LILT (Cieren Fallon, Jockey)
‘A little bit of biased one from me in putting forward Lilt, who I won on last year for Mr. Haggas. She’s a three-year-old filly by Lope De Vega and out of Grade 1 winner Dank who I hope can have a good year having shown good battling qualities on debut.’
MASTER OF SHANGHAI (Jason Hart, Jockey)
‘Master of Shanghai is a three-year-old who was two from two last year for the John & Sean Quinn team. He got a mark of 81 and I think that is manageable. He’s not a horse who I think is ground dependent and think there is plenty of progress in him this year.’
MISS SCOTT (The Work Whisperer, attheraces.com columnist)
‘Miss Scott, a £650,000 yearling and half-sister to 1m2f French Listed winner Grand Stars, is a once-raced Leicester maiden winning juvenile who could be a sleeper in the Oaks market. She is in the right hands to blossom over middle distances at three for John and Thady Gosden.’
MY LOVE IS KING (Rab Havlin, Jockey)
‘He won over 7f at Newcastle last year and had a lovely first race back at Newbury last week. The penny hasn’t fully dropped yet; he’s a slow learner. We are only scratching the surface with him.’
NEEDLE MATCH (Gina Bryce, Sky Sports Racing Presenter)
‘It was eyecatching placing for trainer William Haggas to run him on just second start in Greenham and the way he performed so creditably against higher rated and more experienced horses was impressive. He didn’t fully settle but finished up amongst key horses, making it a very promising run and once going up in trip should set up for successful campaign over a mile and maybe further. He’s by Night Of Thunder out of the family of Uncle Mo so he’s a colt with a nice pedigree too.’
NEEDLE MATCH (James Savage, former assistant trainer to Sir Michael Stoute)
‘A horse I really like for the season is Needle Match. As soon as I saw him in the Paddock ahead of the Greenham Stakes, I fell in love with him. He’s got an exceptional walk, is a great mover and got a fantastic temperament. He ran a nice race in the Greenham, but the step up to a mile is bound to bring out improvement. It looked as though he would come on plenty for the run physically. He can be a Stakes horse when stepping up in trip.’
NIGHT IN VEGAS (Sam Hoskins, Racing Manager for Kennet Valley Syndicates)
‘It’s a dangerous time of year to say it, but I think we have some really nice two-year-olds and if you wanted one of those, Night In Vegas is a lovely horse in training with Eve Johnson-Houghton. He’s quite a sharp, early two-year-old type, potentially, and is going nicely at the moment.’
NOBLE HORIZON (Oli Rix, Trainer)
‘Noble Horizon is very nice horse who we are hoping will be a progressive four-year-old this season. He’s a gelded son of Kingman who can hopefully go on over 10f+.’
OMBUDSMAN (Graham Harte, attheraces.com tipster)
‘The John & Thady Gosden trained five-year-old may have appeared a bit disappointing last season having been beaten three times in five races but students of the clock should be looking forward to a much improved year in 2026. Indeed, I awarded him a career best 120 timefigure (3 lengths per mile faster than the average Group 1 winner) for his seasonal debut victory in the Dubai Turf at Meydan. He quickened 2 lengths clear of Quddwah on that occasion having led over a furlong from home and looked to have plenty left in the tank. The sparkle he showed when leaving Anmaat 2 lengths behind in the Group 1 Prince Of Wales’s Stakes at Royal Ascot last year looked to be missing in the Champion Stakes behind Calandagan and if he can build on his recent win, there should be plenty more to come from the Godolphin star this season.’
ORGANISE (Richard Brown, Racing Manager to Wathnan Racing)
‘He’s a colt who won impressively on his only start at two and then came back to win under a penalty at Yarmouth in what will probably turn out to be a decent novice. James (Doyle) has been into Gosdens this spring and ridden him plenty and has a high opinion of him. He’s still quite green and babyish so we think he will improve with racing. The plan is to run in the Esher Cup on Friday at Sandown, but it wouldn’t surprise if he was beaten given how green and babyish he is, but the more racing he does the better he will get.’
PUERTO RICO (James Savage, former assistant trainer to Sir Michael Stoute)
‘A horse that I will be following closely that’s a little more on the radar is Puerto Rico. He progressed right throughout last year on various types of ground. He’s a horse with a great temperament, very straight-forward and is my idea of the 2000 Guineas winner. He could quite easily step up to the older milers later in the season if he’s as good as I think he could be.’
RAAHEEB (Angus Gold, Racing Manager for Shadwell Stud)
‘Given his wonderful pedigree, he’s a horse with a lot of potential, but until he runs again, we don’t know exactly where we are. We hope with his page he will be a good horse. He’s entered in the Classic Trail at Sandown this week’.
RAAHEEB (Jim Crowley, Jockey)
‘The horse I’m going to nominate is a pretty obvious one in Raaheeb. He’s a full-brother to Baaeed and Hukum. I won on him on debut at Ascot last year and I thought he did well to win, as I don’t think he was too ready to go. He’s a big baby who will improve a huge amount this season and maybe has the potential to develop in a Derby or Irish Derby horse. He’s very exciting and should improve as the season goes on, just like his family has. He’s in training with Owen Burrows and one to watch.’
RAVENSPIRE (Anthony Ennis, attheraces.comn tipster and Sky Sports Racing Presenter)
‘My horse to follow for the flat season is Karl Burke’s Ravenspire. I saw him first hand at Southwell for his debut and was impressed by his sheer size in the paddock and thought he had a real presence about him. He took on a previous winner that night - the Godolphin-owned Into The Light and put him firmly in his place. This well-built son of Sea The Stars should have no issue in switching to the turf and whilst that debut was over a mile and a half, the fact he holds a Dante entry suggests that connections believe he’s not short of speed either.’
RAVENSPIRE (Sam James, Jockey)
‘I won on a horse at Southwell called Ravenspire, who I like. He won a maiden first time and could be a nice horses going a mile-and-a-half or possibly a bit further.’
RAYIF (Laurent Barbarin, attheraces.com French tipster)
‘This son of Sea The Moon trained by Francis-Henri Graffard won two of his three starts at two last year. He was particularly impressive when landing the Group 3 Prix François Boutin on 17 August at Deauville on the straight course. He fared slightly below-par in the Prix Jean-Luc Lagardère on Arc Day when he could only finish third. He was originally due to comeback in action in the Prix de Fontainebleau but was not declared. He should be aimed at the Poule d'Essai des Poulains with or without a run prior to the race and has always been highly regarded by his trainer. It will be very interesting to see how he has progressed from two to three and surely should be monitored very closely this season.’
SAMANGAN (Gary Nutting, attheraces.com tipster)
‘Samangan is 3yo colt owned by Aga Khan Studs, trained by Francis-Henri Graffard and a strapping son of multiple Group 1-winning sprinter Blue Point, and a mid-May foal to boot, so big ‘chapeau’ to him for landing Group 2yo prizes last season. Promising reappearance in the Prix Djebel, stepping up to 7f, travelling powerfully throughout and beaten only by race-fit rival who made most of his early-season ‘edge’ by trapping fast and slipping the field. Ideal trip still to be decided but once that’s sorted out expect him to take high rank on either side of the Channel given his pedigree, profile, physique and “late-foalishness”.’
SOVEREIGN SPELL (Ryan Conran, Breeze-up Consignor)
‘We sold him at the Craven Sale last year to Amo Racing and he’s won his first two starts this year. I think he could be a Black Type horse for trainer Kevin Philippart De Foy. His mind is bomb proof and he’s a good looking horse with a great walk.’
SPIRIT OF SAXONY (Eve Johnson-Houghton, Trainer)
‘Spirit Of Saxony is a very lightly-raced three-year-old who will keep on improving through the year after good runs at Salisbury (sole juvenile start), Kempton and Newbury.’
ST ANTON (Ross Doyle, Bloodstock expert)
‘St Anton in a three-year-old who hopefully will be a progressive horse this year for Richard Hannon. He started his season well at Newmarket so hopefully there is more to come from this good-looking son of Mehmas who is out of a Sea The Stars mare.’
TIME FOR SANDALS (Ted Durcan, former jockey and now Bloodstock expert)
‘She seems to have wintered very very well and is the finished article now physically. With the sprint division so open I am sure she will have her turn during the season and land one of the major sprinting pots.’
TIMEFORSHOWCASING (Callum Shepherd, Jockey)
‘She was a high class two-year-old who has done very well over the winter as evidenced by her success in the Burradon Stakes at Newcastle on Good Friday. She holds entries in the 1000 Guineas on both sides of the Irish Sea and I’m looking forward to seeing how she progresses this term.’
WISE PRINCE (Rab Havlin, Jockey)
‘Wise Prince is a nice Ghaiyyath horse who won at Nottingham last year. He was quite green and raw that day but has grown into his frame nicely and is one to look forward to this year.’
YAZIN (Angus Gold, Racing Manager for Shadwell Stud)
‘Yazin won twice for us as a two-year-old last season and looked a progressive horse in his last race at Newmarket. We had to take a chip out at the end of the year so he’s on the comeback trail, but John (Gosden) seems happy with him and he could be a Stakes-class horse. If he stays in one piece, he could be a nice horse.’
YAZIN (Dave Orton, attheraces.com writer and Sky Sports Racing Presenter)
‘A winner of two of his three outings as a juvenile last year, Yazin has it in him to hit the heights for the Gosdens in 2026. The son of New Bay's form has been boosted all over the place and going beyond 7f is sure to be right up his street.’
