Heavy-ground juvenile maidens in the French provinces in April are not the source from which you would expect to find a potential Group 1 contender, but Spain Burg made a winning debut at Bordeaux Le Bouscat, springing a 9/1 surprise to score by a short-neck over five furlongs.

A month later she ran over the same course and distance, but this time was beaten by one and a half lengths on soft ground. She then went to Toulouse in mid-June, winning over six furlongs, but still she was not on the radar as a potential star in the making.

Her trainer, Xavier Thomas-Demeaulte, clearly thought of her as a bright prospect as her next start was in listed company, but the mild surprise of her three-quarter-length victory in the Criterium du Bequet, over six furlongs on good ground at La Teste de Buch, was still some way short of what would be expected of a filly on the verge of Group 2 success.

It was no surprise, therefore, to see her sent off at 14/1 for the Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes over seven furlongs at Newmarket on Friday. Only two others started at longer odds, and although the odds-on favourite Fair Eva clearly failed to run up to her best, there was a lot to like about the way Spain Burg ran past her rivals to score by one and a quarter lengths.

The favourite was second, pattern-placed stakes winner Miss Infinity was a neck further back in third, ahead of Glitter Girl and the Group 3 Sweet Solera Stakes winner Nations Alexander. The time was faster than that of the two juvenile maidens on the card, as you would expect, and it will be interesting to see what the sectional times analysts have to say about the race.

Spain Burg was bred, in France, by Pedro Perez Fernandez de la Puente, and she is a daughter of the Group 1 Prix d'Ispahan scorer Sageburg (by Johannesburg). He didn't run at two, he was a listed scorer over 10 furlongs at three and hit his peak at four, so, like his dam, grandam and 'uncle' was not precocious.

He is out of the Group 2 Prix de Mallaret winner Sage Et Jolie (by Linamix) and that full-sister to Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe hero Sagamix is out of the Group 1-placed Group 2 Prix de Royallieu scorer Saganeca (by Sagace). If he has passed on any speed to his young daughter, then it comes from his sire and not his distaff side.

Sageburg began his stallion career at Haras de la Gatine but moved to Garryrichard Stud, in Co Wexford, in 2015. Spain Burg is his third stakes winner, he has six others who have been blacktype placed on the flat, and his older star pair are the Grade 2 Charles Whittingham Stakes winner Si Sage and the Group 2 Prix de Sandringham scorer Peace Burg. Both also won at Group/Grade 3 level, and Peace Burg was third to Integral in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket two years ago.

Spain Burg is the second foal out of Spain Blues (by Anabaa Blue) and her half-brother Spain Bowl (by Turtle Bowl), who won over a mile at Bordeaux Le Bouscat in May, was beaten by less than five lengths when out of the frame in a listed contest over that same trip at Toulouse two and a half weeks ago.

The mare won thrice and was placed 14 times from two to five years of age, she is out of the one-time scorer Strike Alight (by Gulch), and that mare, dam of the stakes-placed prolific winner Cyber World (by Robin des Pins), is a full-sister to Flame Valley.

She won the Listed John Musker Stakes in England, she was runner-up in the Grade 2 E P Taylor Stakes in Canada, and she is a half-sister to the Grade 2 All Along Stakes winner Beyrouth (by Alleged). Their dam, Lightning Fire (by Kris), won the Listed Prix Imprudence and earned placings in each of the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux, Group 3 Prix du Calvados and Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg, and it is at this point in the family that the first of the Group 1 stars appear.

That is because Lightning Fire was a full-sister to the Group 1 Prix de la Salamandre scorer Common Grounds, one of the few sons of Kris (by Sharpen Up) who did well as a stallion. His best progeny included the Group/Grade 1 winners Bad As I Wanna Be and Earl Of Barking, and those produced from his daughters include the Group 1-winning G Force (by Tamayuz) and multiple Group 1 star and leading German sire Soldier Hollow (by In The Wings).

Their half-sister Angel In My Heart (by Rainbow Quest), who won the Group 3 Prix de Psyche, was runner-up in each of the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes, Grade 1 Yellow Ribbon Invitational Handicap and Grade 1 Santa Ana Handicap, and she became the dam of Kris Kin (by Kris S).

He won the Group 1 Derby at Epsom in 2003, a month after beating Big Bad Bob in the Group 3 Dee Stakes at Chester, he was third to Alamshar in the Group 1 King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Stakes at Ascot and to Dalakhani in the Group 2 Prix Niel.

He spent the early years of his stallion career in Ireland, then moved to Italy where he was in his second year at the time of his death, aged just 12. He failed to make an impact, but it catches the eye that one of his few blacktype horses was Altair Star, the pattern-placed stakes-winning grandson of the aforementioned Flame Valley.

There is more than enough in these first few generations of the pedigree to suggest that Spain Burg is a filly with the potential to be a high-class performer at around a mile, and that the distance of the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) may also be within her compass. The amount of speed she has shown, however, makes it less likely that she will show the 12-furlong stamina of her classic-winning distant relation.

Those recent generations are the ones that are making the greatest contribution to her genetics and potential, but given what appears in the branches of the next one it would be remiss to move on without comment.

The fourth dam of Spain Burg, the triple US winner Sweetly (by Lyphard), was a full-sister to the French listed scorer Leaf Fall, but her siblings also included the listed race winners Sabbathien (by Val De Loir) and Super Dan (by Dapper Dan), stakes-placed Savora (by Hard Sauce), plus the notable broodmares Swanilda (by Habitat) and Gay France (by Sir Gaylord).

Savora was the dam of the Group 2 Prix Kergorlay winner Solaro (by Dike), Swanilda gave us the talented sprinter Midhish (by Green Desert) and Group 3 scorer and Brazilian champion sire Ghadeer (by Lyphard), and Gay France's major contribution is her daughter Lucayan Princess (by High Line).

That filly won the Listed Sweet Solera Stakes in 1985, she was third in the Listed Cheshire Oaks the following year, and then went on to become broodmare of rare value, dam of the multiple Group 1 stars Luso (by Salse) and Warrsan (by Caerleon), Group 2 scorer Needle Gun (by Sure Blade), and the Group 1-placed pattern winner Cloud Castle (by in The Wings).

The string of pattern-winning descendants of Lucayan Princess include the dual classic star Avenir Certain (by Le Havre) and the just-retired Group 1-placed dual Group 2 scorer Mehmas (by Acclamation), who is to join the stallion team at Tally-Ho Stud in 2017.

These horses are remotely connected to Spain Burg, but they show that hers is a family that has a long-established association with producing top-class racehorses. It remains to be seen just how good she is, but all of the indications, so far, are that she could a serious contender for the mile fillies' classics of 2017, and possibly also the Group 1 Prix de Diane.

Azamour (by Night Shift) was a top-class racehorse and his premature death, at the age of 13, has been a loss. Timeform-rated 108p at the age of two, 128 at three and 130 as a four-year-old, he stood at his owner-breeder's Gilltown Stud in Co Kildare and his roll of honour is headed by the Group 1 stars Covert Love, Dolniya, and Valyra.

His representatives in 2016 include the Group 2 German 1000 Guineas winner and Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary third Hawksmoor, Group 3 Thoroughbred Stakes winner Thikriyaat, Group 3 Lillie Langtry Stakes winner and Group 2 Park Hill Stakes third California, recent French listed scorer Minotaur, and last year's classic-placed filly Irish Rookie, who has been Group 2-placed this season and short-headed in a listed contest at Ascot in July.

He has not yet had a son win at the highest level, but that may change. There are only 11 members of his final crop, now yearlings, but his penultimate one includes Best Of Days, winner of the Group 2 Juddmonte Royal Lodge Stakes over a mile at Newmarket on Saturday.

The victory was narrower than expected – a neck defeat of the fast-finishing The Anvil – but it was compensation for his head loss in the Group 3 Acomb Stakes the previous month. He had been odds-on for that seven-furlong contest, having run out a six-length winner over that trip on his debut at Sandown in July, and he holds an entry in next month's Group 1 Racing Post Trophy at Doncaster.

Best Of Days, who was bought privately by Godolphin after his first run, was bred by Gerhard Schöningh and he is trained by Hugo Palmer. He is the first foal out of the mile listed scorer Baisse (by High Chaparral) and the inbreeding in his five-generation chart reads as 3x4 to Northern Dancer, 4x4 to Darshaan, and 5x5x4 to Shirley Heights.

Whether or not any of this inbreeding is contributing anything to his talent cannot be known, but, on the surface, this sounds like a profile of a potential middle-distance horse.

His dam doesn't have a yearling, as she slipped to Champs Elysees (by Danehill), but she had a filly in February from the first crop of runaway classic star Sea The Moon (by Sea The Stars). She is out of Best Side (by King's Best), who was third to Mona Lisa in the Listed Give Thanks Stakes over 12 furlongs at Cork, and that makes her a half-sister to Azmeel.

That son of Azamour could be described as being a three-parts brother to Best Of Days, and he too made a winning debut over seven furlongs at Sandown in July of his juvenile campaign. He then won the Listed Washington Singer Stakes by three and a half lengths but was unplaced in the ultra-valuable Goffs Million Mile on his only other start that year.

He reappeared in the Group 3 Classic Trial at Sandown, which he was later awarded following a post-race test failure by Chabal, and although two and a quarter lengths behind that horse on the day, his nearest pursuer, Simenon, was another five lengths behind.

He followed that performance with victory in the Group 3 Dee Stakes at Chester, but he was well-beaten behind the outstanding Workforce in the Derby at Epsom. That champion finished the year on a 133 rating from Timeform, compared to one of 109 for Azmeel.

Best Side is out of Mood Swings (by Shirley Heights), who is a winning half-sister to the Listed Sweet Solera Stakes scorer Catwalk, and that makes her a half-sister to Grand Ducal (by Danehill Dancer). He was third in the Group 2 Futurity Stakes as a juvenile and won the Group 3 Gallinule Stakes at three.

Their unplaced half-sister Etizaan (by Unfuwain) has also done her part for the family as she is the dam of Royal Blue Star (by Dalakhani), a multiple mile scorer in Ireland whose best win came in the Listed Platinum Stakes at Cork three years ago. She was pregnant to Dream Ahead (by Diktat) at the time, and that 2014 colt was followed by Mastercraftsman (by Danehill Dancer) and Lope De Vega (by Shamardal) fillies.

Turret, a full-sister to Mood Swings, was placed a few times at two and three, and her Australian-born stakes-placed daughter Spire (by Danehill) is the dam of the Group 2-placed pattern scorer Under The Eiffel (by Mossman) and Group 3-placed stakes winner Tower Of Lonhro (by Lonhro). The latter's win tally is into double figures and he has earned over Aus$500,000, while Under The Eiffel notched up nine wins and over Aus$600,000 in prize money.

Moogie (by Young Generation), the fourth dam of Best Of Days, won twice as a two-year-old but got all of her blacktype at three. She was runner-up to Inchmurrin in a one-mile listed fillies' event at Kempton, third in the nine-furlong Group 3 Prix Chloe at Evry, and fourth to Magic Of Life in the Group 1 Coronation Stakes at Ascot.

Her half-sister Tree Of Life (by Shirley Heights), who could be described as being a three-parts sister to Mood Swings, was only beaten by half a length when runner-up to the popular and talented grey Further Flight in the Listed George Stubbs Stakes over two miles at Newmarket on her final start. She later became the dam of the Australian-born Group 3 scorers L'Esperance (by Marscay) and Martree (by Marscay).

Her siblings also included the French listed race winner Dazzling Heights (by Shirley Heights) and there are several notable individuals descended from that four-times scorer.

Kimbridge Knight (by Night Shift) won twice over middle-distances in England before going to the Far East, where he added a further 10 wins to his tally, including the Singapore Derby. His half-sister Mauri Moon (by Green Desert) won the Listed Oak Tree Stakes at Goodwood, All Glory (by Alzao) was third in the Group 3 Prix Vanteaux, and Pacific Grove (by Persian Bold) was runner-up in the Listed Radley Stakes as a juvenile.

The latter pair also achieved good results at stud. Pacific Grove is the dam of the six-furlong juvenile Group 2 scorer Mokabra (by Cape Cross), and All Glory is responsible for both the German Group 3 scorer All Shamar (by Shamardal) and for the Group 1-placed Australian Group 2 winning miler Noble Protector (by Haafhd), who won the Listed Aphrodite Stakes over 12 furlongs at Newmarket before going 'down under'.

These are the highlights of the first five generations of the family. Cape Chestnut (by Bustino), the fifth dam, was a half-sister to the Grade 2 Citation Handicap and Grade 3 San Francisco Mile Handicap scorer Colway Rally (by Final Straw) and also to a few dams of stakes winners.

The most notable of those is Fleur Rouge (by Pharly), the one-time scorer whose son Red Carpet (by Pivotal) won the Listed Cammidge Trophy, was runner-up in the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes, in the Group 3 Craven Stakes and in the Group 3 Leicestershire Stakes, and took third in the Group 3 Greenlands Stakes.

The sixth dam, Boswellia (by Frankincense), won the Listed William Hill Gold Cup at Redcar and finished fourth in the Group 3 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket, but she and the other blacktype horses that you will find in this part of the family are remotely connected to Saturday's big winner.

Best Of Days got immediate post-race quotes of around 25/1 for both the 2000 Guineas and the Derby, and it remains to be seen how good he will be when he reaches his peak. There is plenty of miler speed in his family, but also enough evidence to suggest that the mile and a half will be within his compass.

The earliest juvenile contests of the season are not where you expect to see future Group 1 winners showcased, but sometimes they do yield performers of note. There are various examples that could be provided, but here are three, one of whom we saw just this afternoon.

The 2009 edition of the Brocklesby Stakes, the opening turf race for two-year-olds in England, was won easily by the 12/1 colt Hearts Of Fire. By mid-July he had been stakes placed but looked well-exposed. Then he stepped-up to seven furlongs, ran away with a listed contest at Deauville, followed-up in a Group 3 race at Baden-Baden and then beat subsequent Grade 1 scorer Vale Of York by a neck in the Group 1 Gran Criterium over a mile on soft ground at San Siro.

He was well-beaten in the Group 1 2000 Guineas at Newmarket on his seasonal reappearance, but then finished third to Canford Cliffs and Dick Turpin in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at Ascot, beaten by one length and three-parts of a length and with Siyouni a half-length behind in fourth. The rest of his subsequent form failed to match that peak performance.

In 2012, Jim Bolger introduced a first-crop son of juvenile champion and classic star New Approach in the opening two-year-old race of the Irish season. Dawn Approach won that by one and three-quarter lengths, followed-up with a runaway success over six furlongs at Naas and went through the rest of the season undefeated, crowned European champion of his age group.

The Group 1 National Stakes, Group 1 Dewhurst Stakes and Group 2 Coventry Stakes winner extended his unbeaten record to seven with a five-length score in the Group 1 2000 Guineas on his first start at three, and after that inexplicably bad run in the Derby, he bounced back 17 days later to short-head Toronado in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes.

Dawn Approach did not win again after that, but he was runner-up in the Group 1 Sussex Stakes, fourth (no blacktype) in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, and the Kildangan Stud team member has his first yearlings on offer now. From those sold so far, he has had €300,000 and €255,000 fillies in Deauville and a £110,000 colt at Doncaster.

The third example on which I will comment here occurred at Newmarket this afternoon, when the Mark Johnston-trained colt The Last Lion won the Group 1 Juddmonte Middle Park Stakes.

​This was his tenth run of the year, he made a winning debut in the aforementioned Brocklesby Stakes at Doncaster, and although he is tough and admirable, there is no reason to get carried away in assessing his future. The horse he beat by four lengths in the Group 3 Sirenia Stakes on the polytrack at Kempton earlier in the month is the same one who, at 66/1, finished exactly four lengths behind him at Newmarket, this time in fifth place.

Today's runner-up, Blue Point, trounced him when they were first and third in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes at York last month, he won the Listed Dragon Stakes at Sandown in July, was runner-up in each of the Group 2 Flying Childers Stakes, Group 2 Norfolk Stakes and Group 3 Molecomb Stakes, and he was rated just 105.

He is a fast, precocious and tough Danehill-line horse, his relations include a classic-winning miler who was also a leading juvenile, and, further back, there is a juvenile mile Group 1 scorer on the page. This is the sort of profile that will likely guarantee that he gets a busy role at stud somewhere whenever his racing days come to an end.

How highly in the ranks he can rise remains to be seen. Time analysis of today's race will be interesting, and his official handicap mark will surely rise. But that repeated four-length gap to Koropick means that to accept that he suddenly produced a leap forward in form on his tenth start then we also have to accept that the 66/1 long-shot matched his sudden progress. Maybe they did, or maybe the reliability of the form is a little suspect.

For the record, Blue Point was the three-quarter-length runner-up, Mehmas weakened to finish another two and a quarter lengths back in third, Intelligence Cross was another half-length back in fourth, with Koropick and Mokarris another half-length and head behind. The overall time was slower than that of Brave Anna in the Group 1 Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes 35 minutes earlier.

The Last Lion, who was bred by the partnership of Barronstown Stud and Liz Stack, is the ninth individual Group 1 winner among a career total of 74 blacktype scorers for Coolmore's sprint ace Choisir (by Danehill Dancer).

His last European crop, for now at least, are yearlings, and those who have won at the highest level for him in the northern hemisphere are ace miler Olympic Glory (stands at Haras de Bouquetot; foals in 2016), dual US mile Grade 1 scorer Obviously, and top sprinter/miler Starspangledbanner (sire of Group 1 winner The Wow Signal, etc).

The Last Lion is an €82,000 graduate of the Goffs Orby Sale and his Power (by Oasis Dream) half-brother is catalogued as Lot 142 in Tuesday's opening session of this year's renewal of that famous auction, also consigned by Glenvale Stud.

He is out of Mala Mala (by Brief Truce), who finished third in the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and in the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes in 2000, all eight of the mare's progeny to race have been winners and half of them are blacktype horses.

In addition to today's big winner, she is the dam of the pattern-placed dual stakes-winning sprinter Contest (by Danehill Dancer), of the dual listed scorer Russian Rock (by Rock Of Gibraltar) and of the stakes-placed colt Horizon Sky (by Duke Of Marmalade). Russian Rock's overall total of 11 wins catches the eye, but it is beaten by that of Contest's full-brother Silvanus.

Now aged 11 and trained by Paul Midgley, the most recent of Silvanus's 15 wins, all of them over the minimum trip, came at Ripon in early August of last year. He was only beaten by four lengths when out of the frame in a handicap at that same venue this afternoon, the 113th outing of his career, and his current handicap mark of 84 is down from a peak of 97.

Mala Mala is one of only four winners, from nine foals, out of the four-times scorer Breyani (by Commanche Run), who stayed two miles, but they include the Group 2 Prix Guillaume d'Ornano and Group 3 Rose of Lancaster Stakes winner Mister Monet (by Peintre Celebre) and his classic-winning half-sister Tarascon (by Tirol).

The joint-champion juvenile filly in Ireland in 1997, she won the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and went on to add the following year's Group 1 Irish 1000 Guineas. She is the dam of two blacktype earners and the grandam of another one.

​There are several blacktype winners descended from Molokai (by Prince Tenderfoot), the winning third dam of The Last Lion – she is, for example, the fourth dam of 2013's Group 1 New Zealand 1000 Guineas heroine Costa Viva (by Encosta De Lago) - but what catches the eye is that she was was a full-sister to the Group 3 Fillies' Mile scorer Icing, who went on to become the dam of the stakes-winning quintet of Al Hareb, Rising, Snowtop, Cerussite and Dr Somerville.

The latter, a son of Chief's Crown (by Danzig), won the nine-furlong Group 3 Prix de Conde by five lengths as a juvenile and added a narrow defeat of Goofalik in the 10-furlong Group 3 La Coupe de Maisons-Laffitte at three.
​
Al Hareb was one of the most talked about two-year-olds of 1988. A first-crop son of the brilliant El Gran Senor (by Northern Dancer), he was an eight-length debut winner over seven furlongs at Salisbury in early July, disappointed behind High Estate in the Group 3 Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, but then bounced back to take a seven-furlong conditions race at Ascot before beating Zalzal by a length and a half in the Group 1 William Hill Futurity Stakes (now Racing Post Trophy) over a mile at Doncaster.

Sadly, he did not live up to that potential. He was a well-beaten last of five in the Group 3 Craven Stakes, won by the subsequent Group 1 Irish 2000 Guineas scorer Shaadi, and was not seen out again. His European progeny included the stakes-winning filly Bearall, but his Australian-born offspring featured the multiple Group 1 sprint star Hareeba.

Rising (by Relkino) won the Listed Mooresbridge Stakes, Listed Ulster Harp Derby and Listed Waterford Crystal Nursery, Group 2 Beresford Stakes runner-up Cerussite (by Malinowski) won a listed contest in California, and Snowtop (by Thatching) won a listed handicap in Ireland before going on to become the ancestor of a plethora of stakes winners around the world.

Those descendants include the Group 1 Prix Morny winner and successful sire Myboycharlie (by Danetime), Australian Group 1 sprint star and blacktype sire Snowland (by Snippets), classic winners in India, the Group 1-placed European blacktype sprint winners Kendam (by Kendargent) and Asset (by Marju), listed scorer and last week's Ayr Silver Cup sixth Ninjago (by Mount Nelson), and various others.

Mahasin (by Danzig), a dual-winning daughter of Icing, did her part for the family by becoming the dam of the US Grade 2 scorer Elhayq (by Nashwan) and Group 3 Minstrel Stakes winner Shibl (by Arazi), and she is the grandam of Group 2 Norfolk Stakes scorer Baitha Alga (by Fast Company).

The Last Lion is now a Group 1-winning juvenile and he is among the ante-post market leaders for next year's Group 1 Commonwealth Cup. He is likely to need to improve further if he is to have a realistic chance of taking that important recent addition to the racing calendar, but should be capable of having a good career as a sprinter.

Looking farther ahead, his two-year-old record will attract plenty of attention from stallion farms and the similarities between his pedigree and that of Myboycharlie won't be missed: they are Danehill-line horses and their respective third dams are full-sisters.

There is one final question to consider with this talented young colt and it is this: might he stay a mile?

It is likely that he won't be asked to try, but his sire was Group 1-placed on his only two tries at that distance and he sires top-class milers, and this colt is not only out of a seven-furlong-placed half-sister to a classic winner, but has the top-class miler Brief Truce (by Irish River) as a broodmare sire and a two-mile winner for a grandam.

He has a Group 1 win to his name, a reputation for being tough and talented, and a pedigree that gives him a chance of staying, so what would there be to lose by giving it a go?

Overbury Stud's Delegator (by Dansili) added himself to the list of freshman sires with a pattern winner to their name when his daughter Delectation won the Group 3 William Hill Firth of Clyde Stakes over six furlongs at Ayr on Saturday.

A six-furlong Thirsk maiden scorer on her only previous start, the Bryan Smart-trained juvenile was bred by Crossfields Bloodstock Ltd and she was bought-back for just 3,000gns when offered from Book 4 of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket.

She is the third foal and third dual winner out of Chushka (by Pivotal), a one-time scorer whose Foxwedge (by Fastnet Rock) colt was bought-back for €25,000 during Wednesday's session of the Tattersalls Ireland September Yearling Sale in Fairyhouse.

Her half-sister Emblaze (by Showcasing) has won seven-furlong handicaps at Southwell and Catterick this year, was runner-up over that trip at Carlisle in August on the most recent of her placed outings, and she is rated 65. Monsieur Glory (by Monsieur Bond), the three-year-old sibling, got his wins in 10-furlong handicaps at Redcar and Beverley, he is rated 71 and he has been declared for a handicap over the extended 13 furlongs at Chester tomorrow.

This is all pretty ordinary stuff and it might make it seem as if Delectation has outrun her pedigree, but that would not be the case.

Her well-bred sire is a classic-placed Group 2-winning sprinter/miler, a horse for whom the ability to sire some stakes and pattern winners, and even Group 1 performers, could be expected. Her dam is a half-sister to the Group 2 July Stakes winner Captain Hurricane (by Desert Style), whose form dropped to a 78-rating by the time of his death as a five-year-old, but her grandam, Ravine (by Indian Ridge), is a dual-winning half-sister to a filly of note.

Niche beat the colts in the Group 3 Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot and was a four-length winner of the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York as a juvenile. She kicked off her three-year-old campaign with victory in the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes at Newmarket, a performance that suggested the white-faced chestnut would stay the mile. The daughter of Risk Me (by Sharpo) confirmed that potential when getting within half a length of beating Sayyedati in the Group 1 1000 Guineas.

It is true that this turned out to be a weak edition of that classic, once you ignore the first two finishers in it, but its winner was an outstanding filly who had taken both the Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes and Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes at two and brought her top-level tally to five by adding the Group 1 Prix Jacques le Marois and Group 1 Sussex Stakes.

Niche was Timeform-rated 115, probably good enough to win at the highest level against her own sex, but, other than her classic run, she never got the chance. She was an impressive three and a half-length winner of the Group 2 Falmouth Stakes at Newmarket on her next start, chased home by Dancing Bloom and the previous year's classic star Culture Vulture, but the following month got loose on the gallops and had a fatal encounter with a van.

Niche's placed half-sister Hidden Meaning (by Cadeaux Genereux) is the dam of the Group 2-placed juvenile stakes winner Senor Mirasol (by Deportivo) and of the stakes-placed prolific winner Becher (by Vettori), and they were out of Cubby Hole (by Town And Country), a mare who had some well-known siblings.

Hiding Place (by Doutelle), the fourth dam of Delectation, won the 1966 edition of the Nell Gwyn Stakes, she was fourth in the Sun Chariot Stakes – fourth counted for blacktype in those days – and her list of nine winners from 13 progeny was headed by the Group 1 Gold Cup hero Little Wolf (by Grundy).

He also won the Group 2 Goodwood Cup, Group 2 Prix Jean de Chaudenay, Group 3 Jockey Club Stakes and Group 3 St Simon Stakes, the races in which he was placed included the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Berlin, Group 2 Great Voltigeur Stakes and Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, and Timeform rated him 127.

His half-brother Smuggler (by Exbury), whom Timeform rated 123 at three and 121 at four and five years of age, made a winning debut in the Chesham Stakes and went on to add the Group 2 Yorkshire Cup, Group 3 Princess of Wales's Stakes and Group 3 Gordon Stakes. He was twice placed in the Group 1 Coronation Cup.

Disguise (by Klairon) won the Group 3 Horris Hill Stakes, Camouflage (by March Past) won the Listed Royal Hunt Cup, Elusive Pimpernel (by Blakeney) won the Listed Hyperion Stakes, and the offspring of Hiding Place also included the unraced filly Sanctuary (by Welsh Pageant).

What makes her significant is that her string of successful progeny was headed by the sprint champion Sheikh Albadou (by Green Desert), the Group 1 Nunthorpe Stakes and Group 1 Sprint Cup star who surprised the home team by also taking the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint. Timeform rated him 125 at three and 128 at four.

Delectation is unbeaten in two starts over six furlongs, and with the six-to-eight furlong pace of her sire combined the traits shown within the first three generations of the family, there is every reason to hope that she will stay a mile in 2017. Whether or not she will be as good as Niche remains to be seen.

A string of maiden, conditions and nursery winners is a promising start for a freshman sire but it is still a long way short of being awesome, spectacular or any of those other often misused superlatives. It's just something that various stallions achieve each year - nothing out of the ordinary - so hardly enough to get the pulse racing. It is, after all, what many of them are supposed to be doing.

A string of stakes winners in the major racing countries? Well, now that is a different matter entirely. That is the point at which we can start to get excited.

It is still too early to heap on the superlatives and make bold predictions of greatness, but it is the early sign that a young stallion may be on the verge of establishing himself as a future industry leader, and that maybe, just maybe, he might be on his way to stardom.

Frankel (by Galileo) has reached that point.

Banstead Manor Stud's Timeform 147-rated superstar has notched-up a double-digit tally of first-crop juvenile winners, which is noteworthy, but it is the three pattern winners and one listed scorer among them that are seeing him begin to pull away from his cohorts.

Fair Eva started the ball rolling when impressive in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot in July and her third-place finish in the Group 2 Lowther Stakes at York, which was won by the Frankel filly Queen Kindly, gave the impression that she already wants a bit farther.

Frankuus created that impression when finishing third and fourth in seven-furlong listed contests at Ascot and Newbury and confirmed it when taking the one-mile Listed 32Red Casino Stakes (registered as the Ascendant Stakes) on soft ground at Haydock on Saturday. Cunco, who gave their sire his first-ever winner, finished third there.

The outstanding French trainer Jean-Claude Rouget introduced an exciting filly in early July and, still undefeated, she is the fourth stakes winner for her sire.

She beat nine rivals in that seven-furlong debut outing at Clairefontaine, followed-up with an odds-on success over a half-furlong farther on the all-weather track at Deauville last month, and then showed her appreciation for a step up to the mile when beating Normandel and Asidious Alexander to take the Group 3 Prix d'Aumale at Chantilly this afternoon.

​Toulifaut was bred in Ireland by the famous Barronstown Stud and her pattern success completed an international double for that team as the Ralph Beckett-trained Simple Verse (by Duke Of Marmalade) won the Group 2 DFS Park Hill Stakes at Doncaster about 75 minutes later.

That older filly, who made €240,000 in Goffs as a yearling, won the Group 1 St Leger and Group 1 Qipco British Champions Filly & Mare Stakes in 2015, and is a half-sister to Even Song (by Mastercraftsman), who won the Group 2 Ribblesdale Stakes at Royal Ascot in June.

Toulifaut was Lot 113 at last year's Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket, but she was led out unsold at 285,000gns. Her full-sister is catalogued as Lot 522 in next month's edition of that famous auction and likely to attract a lot of attention.

The Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac looks like an obvious end-of-year target for this promising filly and, next year, if she's still a classic prospect, either the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) or Group 1 Prix Saint-Alary before the Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks). It remains to be seen if she is good enough for those top events, but right now there is every reason to hope that she will be up to competing at that level.

It will be interesting to see just how far she stays. Handling a mile at this point of a juvenile's season often indicates middle-distance potential.

Frankel was never asked to go beyond the extended 10 furlongs of the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes at York, and there was neither reason to do so nor to think that 12 furlongs would have been beyond him. He is, after all, a son of Galileo (by Sadler's Wells) and his full-brother Noble Mission won the Group 1 Grand Prix de Saint-Cloud over the distance.

Cassydora (by Darshaan), the dam of Toulifaut, was well-beaten behind Eswarah in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom, her only attempt at 12, but she ran away with the Listed Oaks Trial over a half-furlong less at Lingfield on her previous start.

Her subsequent form included chasing home Alexander Goldrun in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes over 10 furlongs at Goodwood and, at the age of five, she gave My Typhoon 6lbs and a one and three-quarter-length beating in the Grade 3 Hillsborough Stakes over nine furlongs at Tampa Bay Downs.

Her second foal, Ernest Hemingway (by Galileo), could be described as being a three-parts brother to Toulifaut. He did not run at two but was sent off favourite for the Group 2 Dante Stakes – in which he finished last – following a 10-length winning debut at Dundalk a month before.

He was also tailed off on his third start – when 150/1 for the Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe – but came back at four to take both the Group 3 Curragh Cup and Group 3 Ballyroan Stakes, and he notched-up a repeat success in the former on the second of his two starts as a five-year-old.

Cassydora is a half-sister to four blacktype horses, including the 10-furlong listed scorer Classic Remark (by Dr Fong) and the potential Betfred Cesarewitch candidate Yorkidding (by Dalakhani). That Mark Johnston-trained four-year-old has won six times to date, she picked up some valuable blacktype when third in a 14-furlong listed contest at Baden-Baden on Saturday, and her entries include this Saturday's Listed Betway Stand Cup over an extended 12 furlongs at Chester.

Claxon, the grandam of Toulifaut, got her best win in the 10-furlong Group 2 Premio Lydia Tesio, she was also a dual listed scorer over that trip, and won a listed contest over a mile. Despite being a daughter of Caerleon (by Nijinsky) and out of a Bustino (by Busted) mare, she appeared to run out of stamina when fading to fifth behind Ramruma in the Group 1 Oaks at Epsom.

Her half-brother Bulwark (by Montjeu) certainly had no such stamina doubts as he was runner-up in the Group 3 Jockey Club Cup and third in both the Group 2 Henry II Stakes and Group 2 Yorkshire Cup.

​But the family is not all about stamina, and the sire can be influential in determining how much speed is evident.

Injaad (by Machiavellian), for example, is a half-sister to Claxon but is the dam of the stakes-winning sprinter Mutamarres (by Green Desert). Their dam, Bulaxie, won the Group 3 Fred Darling Stakes over seven furlongs but stayed 10, and that mare has two half-sisters by the Group 1 Prix du Jockey Club and Group 1 Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe star Suave Dancer (by Green Dancer) who have some interesting descendants.

Dust Flicker is one of pair, and although her daughter Sweepstake (by Acclamation) stayed a mile at three, her listed success came in the five-furlong National Stakes as a two-year-old. The other one is Dust Dancer, who won the Group 3 Prix de la Nonette over 10 furlongs and stayed 12.

Her daughter Spotlight (by Dr Fong) was a Grade 2 scorer over nine furlongs but narrowly beaten in a similar contest over a mile and a half, and her grand-daughter Counterclaim (by Pivotal) was runner-up in the Group 2 Oaks d'Italia. But she is also the grandam of Zoffany (by Dansili) and Wilshire Boulevard (by Holy Roman Emperor).

The latter won the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes and was runner-up in the Group 2 Gimcrack Stakes, and the former is, of course, the juvenile six-furlong Group 1 star who was runner-up to Frankel in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes at three before going on to become a leading young stallion for the Coolmore team.

Toulifaut, however, has already won over a mile and the indications are that she will stay middle-distances as a three-year-old. There are no guarantees, of course, and right now she is just a thrice-raced Group 3-winning juvenile, but if she does reach the top and become a leading French classic filly in 2017 then, given the distance ranges shown by some of her relations, the Prix Vermeille and Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe could be targets.

As for Frankel, it looks long odds-on that he will have at least one Group 1 winner to his name by the time his first three-year-olds are finished their 2017 campaigns, and increasingly likely that the initial one could happen within the next few months.

As one expects at this time of the year, several freshman sires are starting to make their presence felt in blacktype events, taking the early steps that could see them establish themselves as leading young stallions. Those who have caught the eye include Sepoy (by Elusive Quality), the Australian juvenile champion and four-times Group 1-winning sprint star who shuttles to Dalham Hall Stud in Newmarket.

The southern hemisphere half of his global first crop turned three last month and, so far, he has had three stakes-placed horses from among those progeny. His profile is currently higher in Europe than in his native land, which is a little unusual – it tends to go the other way – but it is much too soon to start drawing any conclusions about that or about his long-term prospects.

Right now he can be counted among the promising European freshmen and his eight local winners include Kilmah and Baileys Showgirl. The latter, who is out of a daughter of War Chant (by Danzig), won the Listed Prix Roland de Chambure at Chantilly in July, was a two-length third to Cavale Doree in the Group 3 Prix du Calvados at Deauville last month and then finished third to Kontrastat in the Group 3 Prix la Rochette at Saint-Cloud on Sunday.

She holds an entry in the Group 2 Shadwell Rockfel Stakes at Newmarket in 16 days time and she is trained by Mark Johnston, as is Kilmah, although it must be somewhat unlikely that the stable companions will meet in that prestigious seven-furlong contest.

Kilmah, who won the recent Group 3 Prestige Stakes at Goodwood, is one of the favourites for tomorrow's Group 2 Clugston Construction May Hill Stakes and she also holds an entry in the Group 1 Connolly's Red Mills Cheveley Park Stakes, which is on the day after the Rockfel. On pedigree, she should stay the mile.

A 32,000gns graduate of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale, she was bred by Mildmay Bloodstock Ltd and her Helmet (by Exceed And Excel) half-brother is catalogued as Lot 248 at the 2016 edition of that prestigious auction. She is the fourth foal of her dam, a second blacktype horse for the mare, and each of her first three dams were also blacktype earners.

That is something that will catch the attention if any of her future progeny are catalogued for sale, as will the presence of at least one stakes winner out of each of her first five dams. Four of the family members who have Group/Grade 1 form will have been knocked off the page by that time, but that is unlikely to matter.

Kilmah, who was runner-up to Fair Eva in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes at Ascot in July and just missed out narrowly on blacktype when a close fourth to Roly Poly in the Group 2 Duchess of Cambridge Stakes two weeks before that, is a half-sister to the five-times scorer Tears Of The Sun (by Mastercraftsman).

That 97-rated mare is trained by Clive Cox, she has won and been placed over 12 furlongs but seems best over a quarter-mile less and she was only beaten a head by Elbereth when runner-up in the Listed Nottinghamshire Oaks over 10 furlongs in early June.

Their dam, Perfect Star, was also trained by Cox and her five wins featured the Listed Rosemary Stakes over a mile at Ascot as a three-year-old. The following year she won another handicap over that course and distance, the Shergar Cup Mile, she was listed-placed at Bath eight days later and then returned at five to pick up another listed placing, this time in the Snowdrop Fillies' Stakes over a mile on the polytrack at Kempton.

Perfect Star, a daughter of the classic-placed Group 1 scorer Act One (by In The Wings), is a half-sister to the Listed Festival Stakes winner and Group 3 Tercentenary Stakes third Rewarded (by Motivator) and she is out of Granted (by Cadeaux Genereux), a multiple stakes-placed triple mile winner.

Germane (by Distant Relative), the third dam of Kilmah, won the Group 3 Rockfel Stakes and was placed in both the Listed Oh So Sharp Stakes and Listed Firth of Clyde Stakes, and in addition to Granted she came up with the talented Lucky Chappy (by High Chaparral).

His listed race success was a three-length score over seven and a half furlongs at San Siro in July of his juvenile season, three months before he took third in the Grade 3 Bourbon Stakes over eight and a half furlongs on turf at Keeneland. He then finished fourth to Wrote in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Churchill Downs.

Lucky Chappy came within a nose of taking the Grade 3 El Camino Real Derby over nine furlongs on the Tapeta surface at Golden Gate Fields in February of his three-year-old season, he was also runner-up in the Grade 2 Virginia Derby over 10 furlongs and later took third in the Grade 1 Hollywood Derby. He eventually went to Australia, but did not recapture his form there.

These are the generations of the family that will appear on the catalogue page of Kilmah's future progeny that might grace the sales ring and what won't be visible includes that Germane has nine winning siblings, one of which is the pattern-placed stakes winner Fabriano (by Shardari) and two of whom became the dams of pattern winners.

Firedance (by Lomitas), who won once, is the dam of Fearless Hunter (by Alhaarth), a German-bred gelding who is trained in Norway by Rune Haugen and won both the Listed Polar Mile Cup and nine-furlong Group 3 Marit Sveaas Minnelop at Ovrevoll last year. He was only sixth last month in the 2016 edition of that latter event.

Four Roses (by Darshaan) is the other successful broodmare and, although she did not race, she is the dam of the Group 2 Blandford Stakes and Group 3 Blue Wind Stakes heroine Four Sins (by Sinndar).

The fourth dam of Kilmah is the one-time scorer Fraulein Tobin (by J O Tobin) and as she was out of the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas) runner-up Fruhlingstag (by Orsini), that made her a half-sister to three horses of note.

Blackwater (by Irish River) won a listed contest in France, plus seven other races, and he finished third in the Group 1 Prix Jean Prat at Chantilly, and the best of the other siblings was his half-brother Running Stag (by Cozzene), a millionaire who clocked up a lot of air miles!

​The Philip Mitchell-trained horse began his career with a seven-length debut score over 10 furlongs on the all-weather track at Lingfield, was stakes-placed three months later, and won the Group 3 Prix Gontaut-Biron over 10 furlongs at Deauville as a four-year-old. A month after that win he took third behind the outstanding Skip Away in the Grade 1 Woodward Stakes at Belmont Park.

He was not disgraced when seventh behind Awesome Again in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic at Churchill Downs, he finished a close fourth to Silver Charm in the Grade 2 Clark Handicap three weeks later, and then made his five-year-old debut in the Group 1 Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba, where he was unplaced.

A brief return home saw him take second place in a conditions race at Goodwood and then he was off again, getting within a neck of beating Behrens (gave 5lbs) in the Grade 2 Massachusetts Handicap at Suffolk Downs, with the previous year's classic star Real Quiet (gave 8lbs) only third.

Then he ran away with the Grade 2 Brooklyn Handicap, finished fifth in the Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes at Sandown, won a Grade 2 at Saratoga and then ran at Belmont Park and at Lingfield before chasing home Jim And Tonic in the Grade 1 Hong Kong Cup at Sha Tin. After a winter break, he headed back to Dubai and so kicked off another new season of travel that saw him add a pair of US wins to his tally.

Fruhlingshochzeit (by Blushing Groom), a stakes-placed half-sister to Running Stag, Blackwater and Fraulein Tobin, also did her bit for the family as she is the grandam of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby Handicap and Grade 1 Triple Bend Invitational Handicap star Street Boss (by Street Cry).

A popular member of the Darley stallion team in Kentucky, that leading sprinter is the sire of this year's Grade 1 Kentucky Oaks heroine Cathryn Sophia. In March his Australian-bred son The Quarterback took the Group 1 Newmarket Handicap at Flemington, and on Sunday his Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks runner-up Decked Out won the Grade 3 Providencia Stakes over nine furlongs at Santa Anita.

Street Boss is also the sire of Grade 1 King's Bishop Stakes winner Capo Bastone and of last year's Grade 1 Arkansas Derby winner and Grade 1 Kentucky Derby third Danza.

Kilmah's connection to Street Boss and Running Stag is remote, but there is more than enough of note within the first few generations of her pedigree to show why she had the potential to become a blacktype filly and why staying a mile looks likely.

She has only won two of her six starts and so seems quite well exposed, but the step up to seven furlongs appeared to suit her and it is possible that she may be capable of further improvement.

It is still too early to know for sure, but there are encouraging signs that Invincible Spirit and Galileo may forge their own branches of the Green Desert (by Danzig) and Sadler's Wells (by Northern Dancer) lines. An important part of the feat is having their influence carry on through their sons and grandsons.

On Thursday, the Group 3 Prix d'Arenberg at Chantilly was won by a colt who represents a blending of those two lines. The Hugo Palmer-trained Afandem is a son of the juvenile Grade 1 scorer Vale Of York (by Invincible Spirit) and he is the first foal out of Al Mahmeyah (by Teofilo).

This was his seventh start, he kicked off his career with a three and a quarter-length debut success over five furlongs on soft ground at Doncaster in late April, and the French pattern contest was his second blacktype win in that country. In late July he took the Listed Prix Reves d'Or – Jacques Bouchara at Vichy.

Two starts before that he was an odds-on winner over six furlongs at Brighton, his only time out of the frame is his fifth-place finish in an Ascot nursery that was sandwiched between those two wins. Between the listed contest and his Group 3 success, the colt failed by just a head to beat Big Time Baby in the Listed Julia Graves Roses Stakes at York, the pair of them four lengths clear of the third and in a race that was run in a new juvenile course record time.

Afandem is clearly a highly talented young sprinter, and given how the market seems to crave juvenile speed and precocity, it is possible that he could have a stallion career in his future, especially if he can pick up a Group 2 contest, or better.

Vale Of York, who created something of a minor shock when pipping subsequent classic star Lookin At Lucky in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile on the Pro-Ride surface at Santa Anita in 2009, never tried shorter than seven furlongs. His winning debut came that July, he won a seven-furlong contest at Goodwood shortly before taking third behind Joshua Tree in the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes, and was only beaten a neck by Hearts Of Fire in the Group 1 Gran Criterium at San Siro several weeks before his Californian success.

His only start at three was a disappointing one in a nine and a half furlong listed contest at Meydan in early March, he stood his first five seasons as a member of the team at Kildangan Stud, and this year he completed his first one at Haras Des Faunes in France. Afandem is his second stakes winner, the previous one being the dual listed and dual Group 3 scorer Fontanelice.

Afandem is yet another high-class horse bred by Rabbah Bloodstock Ltd. His dam, a 46,000gns Tattersalls October Yearling Sale graduate, was trained by Richard Hannon and won a six-furlong maiden on the polytrack at Kempton on the last of four starts as a juvenile. She had been runner-up on the previous two occasions, once at Nottingham and the other at Kempton, and she was out of the frame in two starts at around a mile at three.

Al Mahmeyah is a half-sister to several multiple winners, two of whom were prolific. Annes Rocket (by Fasliyev) notched-up eight wins from five and a half furlongs to a mile, with most of them coming over seven, and he won on turf and on polytrack. Saint Thomas (by Alhaarth), who is trained by John Mackie, is up to an overall career total of 10 wins, the most recent of which came over a mile and a half at Leicester in mid-July. That gelding has been successful from 10 to 12 furlongs on the flat - turf and polytrack - and he also has a pair of hurdle race wins to his name.

The siblings also include Spirit Of Pearl (by Invincible Spirit). She was a wide-margin winner of sprints at Tipperary and Sligo before failing by just a head to take a five-furlong listed at the former venue. Her early progeny include the stakes-placed juvenile six-furlong scorer Elusive Pearl (by Elusive City).

Their dam, Aguilas Perla (by Indian Ridge), was unraced but is a full-sister to Listed Athasi Stakes scorer Cool Clarity and a half-sister to two other stakes winners. Artistic Blue (by Diesis) won the Listed Tyros Stakes at two, was runner-up in the Group 3 Aon MacDonagh Boland Stakes and third in a listed 1000 Guineas trial. Queen Of Palms (by Desert Prince), on the other hand, took the Listed Fairy Bridge Stakes before going on to become the dam of stakes-placed Dokker (by Dylan Thomas), whose tally of races won is into double figures.

Afandem's third dam is Tapolite (by Tap On Wood), who also won the Listed Tyros Stakes as a juvenile, and in addition to being a daughter of the listed scorer Pendulina (by Prince Tenderfoot), she has the distinction to being a full-sister to Sedulous.

That filly won the Group 3 Killavullan Stakes over a mile at Leopardstown shortly before finishing third in the Group 3 C L Weld Park Stakes over a furlong less at Phoenix Park in 1988, but it is her descendants that have kept her name in mind in more recent times.

Sedulous is a half-sister to the dam of the multiple pattern-winning sprinter Miss Emma (by Key of Luck), and she is the grandam of the top-class Indian filly Fairy Winter (by Foyer) but, more notably, she is the grandam of Shirocco (by Monsun).

Out of dual winner So Sedulous (by The Minstrel), his string of big wins included the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Turf, Group 1 Coronation Cup, Group 1 Gran Premio del Jockey Club and Group 1 Deutsches Derby, he spent one year at Kildangan Stud, six years at Dalham Hall Stud, and has now completed three seasons at Glenview Stud.

His 26 flat stakes winners include the tragically ill-fated Group 1 Irish St Leger hero Brown Panther and also three Brazilian-bred horses who have won at the highest level in their native land, and his growing list of National Hunt blacktype scorers is headed by the brilliant and prolific Grade 1 star Annie Power.

Shirocco is a full-brother to the classic-placed Group 2 winner Subiaco, to classic-placed listed scorer Storm Trooper, and to listed race winner September Storm, the latter a successful National Hunt sire at Ballyash Stud. Their siblings also include a stakes-winning half-brother and there are three sisters who have produced blacktype horses at stud. The best of those offspring is the Group 2-placed multiple stakes winner Swacadelic (by Adlerflug), who has been successful in both Germany and Australia.

Afandem was rated 103 before yesterday's Group 3 success, up 12lbs from where he was two months before. There may still be more improvement to come from him, and that would bring him into the reckoning for some of the better juvenile sprinters in the closing months of the season.