Talented squad will help keep wheels turning

Success is guaranteed, it's just the level of success that remains to be ascertained. Philip Hobbs's yard is a powerhouse and he's already busy pouring on the coal; what will the output be this season?

"I'd settle now for 110 winners and a million and a half in prize-money," says the genial master of Sandhill, the north Somerset yard with a sea view on a clear day and its own micro-climate. That would tally well with the harvest of previous seasons, for Hobbs is a hugely consistent performer at the top level with a horse for seemingly every race – well, almost.

"What we lack is a proven Grade 1 performer, but we've got quite a lot who could be," he says, putting his finger squarely on the crux of the matter, as his highest-rated horse is the ageing ace Menorah, who can't be expected to carry all before him any more. "Time will tell," he adds. "We all know it's a numbers game in the end."