Thumbs up from Christophe Soumillon after Puerto Rico wins the Lagardere at Longchamp

Expert panel special: The 2026 Flat season including Classic tips

By Sporting Life

Horse Racing

Sat March 21, 2026 · 4h ago

Our racing team answer some high-profile key questions heading into the 2026 British turf Flat season, which starts next weekend.

Plenty of money for Albert Einstein this week is he the right favourite for the Betfred 2000 Guineas?

Andrew Asquith: In short, I don’t think he is. The bookmakers have quickly dived for cover following Aidan O’Brien’s glowing report of Albert Einstein earlier in the week, but a general price of 7/2 does look a little short to me considering we haven’t seen him since May last year. He was always earmarked as O’Brien’s best two-year-old prior to suffering a setback after winning the Marble Hill Stakes, where he beat subsequent Group 1 winner Power Blue comfortably and overcoming some trouble in-running. There’s no doubt he remains an incredibly exciting colt, who appears to be the apple of Aidan’s eye, but others have achieved more on form, and it is just the hype making him favourite currently. You would have to question if he’ll stay a mile, too, his dam a winner over five furlongs, and it could be he develops into a Commonwealth Cup horse rather than a star miler.

Matt Brocklebank: Given his price has been shortening up almost by the day this week, Albert Einstein must be giving off all the right signs in his preparatory work, but going by what I’ve seen with my own eyes on the track last spring, he might turn out to be a keen-going sprinter this year. I suppose his pedigree offers plenty of encouragement that a mile will be within range but he’s untried beyond six furlongs in public and punters will surely have to think twice about parting with their cash around the 3/1 mark, especially as it’s been so long since Aidan O’Brien brought one over cherry-ripe for the first Classic of the year.

Ben Linfoot: It’s hard to argue with Aidan O’Brien’s number one, even when he’s not the form choice and needs to prove he stays a mile! Add O’Brien’s 0/13 Guineas record since Magna Grecia into the mix, including those defeats for Auguste Rodin and City Of Troy, and it’s hard to get excited about Albert Einstein as a market leader. But. He is different to those two given he’s more speedily bred and he’s clearly caught the eye of his trainer this spring, so let’s just say he’s an understandable favourite rather than the right one.

John Ingles: Judged solely on Timeform ratings, he’s well down the list, even amongst his own stablemates such as Gstaad and Puerto Rico who achieved a lot more last year, but that’s essentially down to lack of opportunity as his two-year-old campaign was over before some of his Guineas rivals had even made their debuts. If you think he’s the right favourite, then you’re putting all your faith in the noises coming out of Ballydoyle, though he was also the subject of very positive reports before Royal Ascot last year until he got injured. There’s some substance to the hype, too, because the twice he did run, he certainly left a big impression in winning both those starts. Albert Einstein isn’t the only one to have attracted money lately, though, with support also coming for the Gosden stable’s Publish. It’s an open-looking year, but Dewhurst winner Gewan should probably head the betting judged purely on two-year-old form.

Tony McFadden: Timeform's highest-rated two-year-old Gewan (118) was only 1lb ahead of Albert Einstein's stablemates Puerto Rico and Hawk Mountain, so it's not like there was an outstanding juvenile who is setting a daunting standard. Albert Einstein had been a high achiever prior to his setback, and the form of his Marble Hill win was nicely franked by runner-up Power Blue who won the Group 1 Phoenix Stakes, but you're still taking a lot on trust about a horse who has been off since last May. It looks wide open at this stage and I'd rather wait until we've seen some trials, mindful that Field of Gold's Craven Stakes win last year showed us how much horses can progress over the winter, even if he ultimately came up just short in the Guineas.

Have you an antepost fancy for any of the Classics?

Andrew Asquith: When writing the ante-post section of this year’s edition of Timeform’s Horses To Follow booklet I was very keen on Publish for the 2000 Guineas. His price has more or less halved in the last couple of weeks or so, and I’m taking that as an encouraging sign. Publish caught my eye on more than one occasion last season and I thought he shaped like the best horse at the weights when beaten a length by Bow Echo in a listed event at Haydock on his final start in September. He was ridden in contrasting fashion, held up in a steadily-run race, but the manner in which he cruised into contention with a rapid move in the straight, more or less coming from last to first in the space of a furlong, marks him out as an excellent prospect. Publish is a well-made colt, very much the type to have done well physically from two to three, and he could follow the Field of Gold path, who was an impressive winner of the Craven Stakes before being an unlucky loser in the Guineas.

Matt Brocklebank: Of all of the Ballydoyle colts potentially in line for a Guineas, Puerto Rico appeals if going for the French version. He seemed to take an age to find his niche at two but he missed a couple of months’ work earlier in the year by all accounts and there’s no question he really came good when stepped up to seven furlongs in the autumn. Having signed off 2025 with a stylish win (made most of the running) in the Criterium International at Saint-Cloud, he could be destined for Longchamp but if he runs at Newmarket over the Poule d’Essai des Poulains then I’d take that as a positive indicator and he might really enjoy bouncing out and getting rolling towards the front end in a Guineas.

Ben Linfoot: Sticking with O’Brien I put up Amelia Earhart for the Oaks in our 2026 antepost preview at Christmas and it was pleasing to see her get a brief mention at Aidan O’Brien’s press day on Monday. Things are slotting into place with her with Diamond Necklace mentioned for the Prix de Diane and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Amelia Earhart puts herself in the Epsom picture with a positive showing during trial season. Without going over too much old ground, she’s bred for a trip and was given a typical two-year-old campaign for an Oaks filly by O’Brien, culminating in her bolting up in the Minnie Hauk maiden. If you’re not on at 33s, I wouldn’t put you off getting involved at 16s.

John Ingles: The Oaks market is usually the murkiest of the Classics at this time of year but, like Ben, I think maybe Amelia Earhart will emerge out of the gloom this spring and give Ballydoyle another winner at Epsom. Just the step up from seven furlongs to a mile seemed to do wonders for her last year as she hacked up by seven lengths at Leopardstown on her final outing after failing to win her first four starts over shorter. She’s bound to do better still over much longer trips this year as she’s by Camelot and a full sister to Cleveland who missed his three-year-old season but came back at four to win the Chester Cup. She’s a good type physically too, it seems, so there’s a lot to like about her and scope for her to do a good deal better.

Tony McFadden: Make that three of us! Not all of Aidan O'Brien's Oaks winners were either lightly raced or high achievers at two - some, such as Love and Snowfall, had seemed fairly exposed before showing much-improved form when faced with stiffer tests of stamina at three. Amelia Earhart wasn't among the pick of the juvenile fillies last season and it took her five starts until getting off the mark in a maiden, but she showed enough to merit her place in an Oaks trial, and she appeals as one who should relish a step up to middle distances.

Which horse are you most looking forward to following this Flat season?

Andrew Asquith: I’m hoping the Aidan O’Brien-trained Montreal develops into a top-class colt. He started an odds-on favourite for his debut over a mile at Leopardstown, but was badly in need of the experience, missing the break but shaping well by the end. Montreal built on that experience as expected when bolting up over the same course and distance next time, much sharper on that occasion and the manner in which he continued to go clear in the straight marked him out as a smart performer. He’ll reportedly head for a Derby trial on his return and, given his pedigree, he’s only going to flourish once moving up to middle distances. I’m hoping he will develop into a leading Derby contender.

Matt Brocklebank: Tricky one this as I can barely count the number of years I’ve pinpointed a horse to follow before they’ve belatedly returned with a moderate effort in the Dante in May and I’m left scrambling for the ‘unfollow’ button. Having said that, Charlie Appleby gave King’s Trail a debut run at Kempton just before the turn of the year and, although a touch inexperienced when initially asked for his effort, he smacked of a top prospect in beating Colourband by over two lengths. Timeform were suitably impressed in giving him a rating of 98P and the son of Sea The Stars (out of a Dubawi mare who won a French Group 3 over 1m1f) promises to come into his own over middle distances this time around. Bring on the Dante…

Ben Linfoot: A late-developing Night Of Thunder horse seems to take the racing world by storm each year these days (see Highfield Princess, Economics and Ombudsman) and 2026 could be the year for Karl Burke’s Zeus Olympios. A strong traveller with a turn of foot, he’s earned his place in Group 1 company now and looks the ideal type for a Lockinge-Queen Anne assault in the early months of the season before he tackles the three-year-olds later on. He could be a bit special and I can’t wait to see how his four-year-old career develops.

John Ingles: One I’ll be following, albeit from quite a distance, is Japanese colt Masquerade Ball. He’s done all his racing on home turf so far, but like many top Japanese three-year-olds before him, he could be about to be unleashed on the wider world Equinox-style now that’s he turned four. I’m not saying he’s another Equinox, but he’s got top-class potential judged on his two runs at Tokyo in the autumn having finished runner-up in the Japanese Derby. After winning the Tenno Sho (Autumn), he made Calandagan pull out all the stops in the Japan Cup where he was about a neck up on that rival through most of the last furlong before going down by a head in a race where the weight-for-age terms favoured his older rival. That was a cracking effort against Europe’s best horse, and he might get a chance to avenge that defeat if they meet again in Hong Kong next month.

Tony McFadden: Victory for Cicero's Gift at 100/1 in the Queen Elizabeth II Stakes on Champions Day underlined the openness of the mile division which is crying out for a star. Maybe that could still be Field of Gold, who was so impressive in the St James's Palace Stakes before meeting with a couple of defeats, but if there's a colt capable of dominating the division I think it's likely to be Zeus Olympios. He quickly developed into a very smart performer last season, winning all four starts and signing off with an impressive performance in the Group 2 Joel Stakes. The way he readily strode clear, despite racing freely early on, marked him out as a top prospect.

Exciting prospect Zeus Olympios wins at Newmarket

Give us a dark horse to follow in 2026?

Andrew Asquith: Everyone knows how adept Sir Mark Prescott is at getting his horses well handicapped and Campeona has the profile of another who will rack up a sequence this season. She had three quick runs on the all-weather at the end of last year and, while she was well beaten in each one, she looked very inexperienced and raced over trips short of what will prove to be her optimum. Campeona is out of a smart mare and related to some useful winners, very much bred to be better than an opening mark of 58, so expect her to prove herself a very well handicapped filly when stepping up to a mile and a half or further.

Matt Brocklebank: Having changed hands for 420,000 guineas in the autumn, I’m probably pushing it a little in classing Wave Rider as a dark horse but he looks just the sort that new trainer George Scott will have a lot of fun with this year. The four-year-old has already almost won a decent pot out in Bahrain and I’m happy to ignore his second effort out there as he was drawn 15 of 15 and raced keenly out wide. Last season Wave Rider progressed through the ranks for Harry Charlton, winning a couple of times and taking his initial mark of 83 up to 94. He’s still potentially well treated in my view, he handles all kinds of ground and looks a high-class, middle-distance handicapper with the potential to scale even greater heights if Scott can eke out a little more improvement.

Ben Linfoot: I think Andrew Balding’s Five Ways is worth sticking in your trackers. The son of Kameko progressed with each run at two, bolting up at Salisbury before making all to win a Kempton Group 3, while he acquitted himself well at 22/1 in the Middle Park where he was fourth. He was quite a keen goer as a juvenile, but it will be interesting to see how he has matured at three with another winter under his belt and his style of racing will likely dictate if he goes out in trip to a mile or sticks to sprinting for something like the Commonwealth Cup. If he’s grown up a bit, he could be interesting going out in trip.

John Ingles: One who comes into this category and is one of the ‘fifty’ in our Horses To Follow for this season is Masked Warrior. William Haggas got two runs into him, both on soft ground, in the autumn and he shaped well to be placed both times, keeping on to finish third over seven furlongs at Newbury and then shaping like the best horse in the race when runner-up over a mile at Nottingham. He lacked the know-how of the winner Hell Yeah He Did at Nottingham, getting worn down in the last hundred yards after leading two out, but he’s a lengthy son of New Bay out of a mare who was beaten a nose in the Galtres Stakes, so he’ll stay middle distances this year. He’s been gelded since last year, so he’s not going to be a Derby horse, but maybe connections have a Royal Ascot handicap in mind instead.

Tony McFadden: Maltese Cross raced only a couple of times as a juvenile, exclusively in maiden company, but he made a promising start to his career and it would be little surprise were he to prove competitive in Group races when stepping up to middle distances. He was runner-up in a maiden that worked out very well on his debut at Ascot and then showed a fine attitude to beat market rival Del Maro at Newmarket. Del Maro went on to finish third in the Group 3 Zetland Stakes, putting an even more positive spin on Maltese Cross's performance. He's bred to thrive over middle distances and is in excellent hands with William Haggas.

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