'We need to reward ability and incentivise owners to try to upgrade'

The start of the Flat – even though the Flat season began on January 1, and never actually ends, the onset of the turf season is always a significant moment in the calendar. The first Classics are mere weeks away, Royal Ascot shimmers in the middle distance like heat haze on the highway, and the delicious languor of warm evenings at the races will soon be a reality.

It's a sea-change; Cheltenham behind us, the jumps season entering the final furlong, and now here are the next crop of two-year-olds providing their usual fascination, the next Classic contenders going through their trials, seasoned handicappers coming round again on a familiar orbit. It's a time of renewal, of reacquaintance, of reaffirmation.

And at this time of year there are always questions to mull over, problems to be tackled, future stars to be assessed, and some of the answers can be found here thanks to the input of top trainers Mark Johnston and Clive Cox, former champion apprentice and leading senior rider Josephine Gordon, and owner Paul Jacobs, whose colours have been carried to victory by dual Group 1 winner Limato.