Friday 26 June was a scorcher, and the cards started early to beat the heat. If you were stuck at work or out in the sunshine, you could easily have missed the two horses that caught my eye at either end of the day. Both are well worth adding to your tracker.
Brunhilde (10:15 Doncaster)
The 10:15 at Doncaster was a very early start, put on to get the racing done before it got too hot, and Brunhilde was the one to take out of it. On only her third start, and in the hands of James Doyle for the first time after Pat Cosgrave and Billy Loughnane had taken the earlier rides, she has been stepped up in trip every time, from 1m to 1m2f and now to 1m4f, and her form figures read fourth, second, second.
Today's second was the eyecatcher. She looked badly outpaced for much of the race but stayed on really strongly to finish second behind Alpinara, herself a two-and-a-half-million-guinea purchase. You could argue she will be just as good as the winner if they step up in trip again. She was beaten by a smart filly, things did not quite go her way in running, and she still ran on powerfully through the line.
Crucially, that is now three runs, so she gets a handicap mark. She will be very interesting indeed once the new handicap marks are announced next Tuesday.
Anchor Road (16:33 The Curragh)
The other one was in the 16:33 at the Curragh, where Anchor Road made his racecourse debut. Go and watch the race back: he did not get a clear run at any stage in a maiden that looks sure to work out well. The winner, Abraham Lincoln, is a 2.3 million dollar purchase, and plenty are already suggesting he could be the best horse Aidan O'Brien has ever trained. That is a huge statement.
If Anchor Road had got a clear passage, I think he would have pushed Abraham Lincoln all the way. He is one you definitely want in your tracker. He should be winning races very soon, and I would expect to see him in group company by the end of the season.
Two to keep firmly onside: a progressive filly about to get her handicap mark, and a debutant who looks capable of climbing the ranks quickly.