Auguste Rodin could now become a truly unique thoroughbred - but it will be on dirt that his fate is decided

Many jaws will have dropped on the announcement this week that Auguste Rodin will race on as a four-year-old next year.

It was an unlikely development, not least because Ballydoyle’s best three-year-old colt in any given year is almost invariably its most valuable asset. You only have to consider the tragic fate of Desert Crown, the 2022 Derby winner who was kept in training as a four-year-old, to understand how big a call this was.

Occasionally, a confluence of factors align to give racing fans what they crave. But the main consideration when assessing whether to go back to the well is whether the horse in question can enhance his reputation.