Here are three two-year-olds who could be Classic contenders next year - including the best juvenile I've seen this season

By this point in most seasons the following years' Classic winners have been seen on the track and more often than not they've run more than once. There are obvious exceptions like Minnie Hauk and Notable Speech but as Aidan O'Brien shows every year, getting experience and conditioning from racing horses at this stage of their career can be a big advantage, so it's more than likely we have seen the Guineas and Derby winners already.
If that’s the case then which juveniles we have already seen will line up at Newmarket or Epsom in 2026? The one horse that immediately springs to my mind is the John and Thady Gosden trained Morris Dancer, who I think is just about the best two-year-old I've seen so far this season.
He was a huge price when well beaten on his debut and he started 22-1 to win the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood on his third start. Green and looking clueless despite having already had a couple of runs, Morris Dancer came from miles back and looked sure to win until Zavateri rallied back past him close home. At the time I thought that it was a bit disappointing that he didn't win but in the aftermath his trainers said that he'd had a hold-up in his preparation and had done no work since his Haydock win a month before.
Access premium tipping
View daily premium tips from the Racing Post’s foremost experts, including the likes of Tom Segal, Paul Kealy and more
Subscribe to unlock
- Racing Post digital newspaper (worth over £100 per month)
- Award-winning journalism from the best writers in racing
- Expert tips from the likes of Tom Segal and Paul Kealy
- Replays and results analysis from all UK and Irish racecourses
- Form study tools including the Pro Card and Horse Tracker
- Extensive archive of statistics covering horses, trainers, jockeys, owners, pedigree and sales data
Already a subscriber?Log in
Published on inTom Segal
Last updated
- These novice chasers had me purring last week and look big players against the Willie Mullins Cheltenham hotpots
- Why we shouldn't always fall for horses who appear to be natural jumpers
- Badger Beers proves how front-runners are favoured in the big chases - remember where you read it first!
- Here is the one golden rule I'm aiming to follow in the big chases this jumps season
- As the Champion Stakes demonstrated, the cream rises to the top when pacemakers are involved
- These novice chasers had me purring last week and look big players against the Willie Mullins Cheltenham hotpots
- Why we shouldn't always fall for horses who appear to be natural jumpers
- Badger Beers proves how front-runners are favoured in the big chases - remember where you read it first!
- Here is the one golden rule I'm aiming to follow in the big chases this jumps season
- As the Champion Stakes demonstrated, the cream rises to the top when pacemakers are involved
