'He has the potential to elevate himself to superstar status over this trip'

Unless there has been an outstanding three-year-old like an Enable, a Galileo or a Sea The Stars, the top older horses have more than held their own in Britain's leading all-aged middle-distance races this century.

Although the weight-for-age scale and the potential for improvement naturally draws one towards the younger types, the stats since 2000 confirm that, in races like the Coral-Eclipse (14 four-year-old-plus winners v eight three-year-old winners), the King George VI & Queen Elizabeth Stakes (16 four-year-old-plus v six three-year-old), the Juddmonte International (15 four-year-old-plus v seven three-year-old) and the Champion Stakes (14 four-year-old-plus v eight three-year-old), the balance has swung in favour of the older horses.

Things haven't unfolded sufficiently in the three-year-old middle-distance department to gauge its full potential yet, but we know enough about the current batch of older horses to appreciate there is a mix of both quality and strength in depth.