'The whole reason I do this job is to train top-class horses - he fits the bill'

Dave Loughnane faces a big task to improve on last season, which brought personal bests for winners (42) and prize-money (£594,072) as well as a first Group 2 success, but he is confident he has the tools for the job.

The Shropshire-based trainer has made a fine start to the season with 20 winners on the board – two at Chester’s May meeting – and the promise of plenty more to come. “Each year we try to improve the quality as that’s what we aspire to, having horses running in the top races and winning,” he says. “Go Bears Go is going to be our standard bearer but we’re not a one-horse yard. Some of the three-year-olds look potentially very nice and in the coming weeks we’ll see how they’ve come through the winter, but I also look to have some decent youngsters again.”

On his stable star, he says: “I was delighted with Go Bears Go’s return at Ascot, where he showed he had trained on and displayed that wonderful characteristic of enjoying a battle. When he was eyeballed a furlong out you could see him saying, ‘Come on then if you think you can beat me.’ Physically he’s not much taller than last year but he has really grown and muscled up. I’m very excited about the season ahead for him.”