There is still one classic still to go in 2017 (applying the traditional criteria that they are for three-year-olds only) – next month’s Group 1 William Hill St Leger at Doncaster – but attentions have already been drawn towards next year’s series.

Many who feature prominently in the ante-post markets this far in advance of the events have faded from memory or interest by the time those races are ready to run but it seems unlikely that recent Goodwood winner Expert Eye will be among those horses.

He made his debut over an extended six furlongs at Newbury in mid-June, which is earlier than often expected for a Sir Michael Stoute-trained juvenile, and he won that good-ground event by one and a half lengths.

​That was a promising start, but when he ran away from nine rivals to take the Group 2 Qatar Vintage Stakes at Goodwood just under seven weeks later, he shot to the head of the rankings – 114p with Timeform – and the market for the Group 1 Qipco 2000 Guineas of 2018.

He beat Zaman and Mildenberger by four and a half lengths and three-parts of a length, the time was decent rather than spectacular, but what really grabbed the attention was the way he quickened clear and had the race won well before the line. He looked every inch a potential future Group 1 star.

If Expert Eye is going to be a classic hero in 2018 then it will be in one or more of the mile events. It remains to be seen if he will have the stamina to stay 10 furlongs, but that is likely to be either too far or at the outer limit of his distance range.

The colt is a son of high-class sprinter and veteran Rathbarry Stud stallion Acclamation (by Royal Applause), the horse who has given us the Group 1-winning sprinters Dark Angel, Equiano and Marsha, among others of note. The first-named pair are, of course, now the sires of Group 1 winning offspring, while Marsha is still in training and has the potential to make an impact as a broodmare.

Exemplify (by Dansili), the dam of Expert Eye, won over a mile in France as a two-year-old, her first foal – Divisionist (by Oasis Dream) – has been placed twice over eight and a half furlongs at Wolverhampton, her yearling is a first-crop daughter of Kingman (by Invincible Spirit), and she had a Dark Angel (by Acclamation) colt in late February.

The mare is out of the unplaced Quest To Peak (by Distant View) and that makes her a half-sister to Special Duty (by Hennessy), a leading two-year-old of 2009 who retired to the paddocks a dual classic heroine despite failing to pass the post in front in any of her six starts at the age of three.

Runner-up in the Listed Prix Yacowlef on her racecourse debut, the Criquette Head-trained chestnut beat Siyouni in the Group 2 Prix Robert Papin, failed narrowly against Arcano in the Group 1 Prix Morny and then beat Misheer by two and three-quarter lengths to take the Group 1 Cheveley Park Stakes in style at Newmarket.

Special Duty was only third to Joanna when odds-on for the Group 3 Prix Imprudence on her reappearance on very soft ground at Maisons-Laffitte and she was then pipped in photo finishes for both the Group 1 1000 Guineas and Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas). However, Jacqueline Quest was dropped to second at Newmarket, Liliside to sixth at Longchamp, and Juddmonte’s filly got both races.

She is not the only horse to pick up two Group 1 races in this way: Vahorimix was awarded both the Poule d’Essai des Poulains (French 2000 Guineas) and Prix Jacques le Marois in 2001. In his case, Noverre failed the post-race test at Longchamp and Proudwings was thrown out at Deauville for interference caused.

But back to Expert Eye.

Quest For Peak’s contribution at stud is no surprise as she is out of the pattern-placed dual stakes winner Viviana (by Nureyev) and so is a full-sister to seven-time Grade 1 heroine Sightseek and half-sister to dual Grade 1 scorer Tates Creek (by Rahy), a pair of Bobby Frankel-trained Juddmonte-bred standouts.

Sightseek’s blacktype-placed son Raison D’Etat (by A.P. Indy) stands at Calumet Farm in Kentucky and has his first two-year-olds now.

Viviana’s winning full-sister Willstar has produced two blacktype winners and is the grandam of several blacktype earners – the latter group featuing Group 3 Prix de Fontainbleau winner Glaswegian (by Selkirk) and dual listed scorer Preferential (by Dansili) – but the standout among them all is her excellent daughter Etoile Montante (by Miswaki).

Runner-up in the Group 1 Prix Marcel Boussac as a juvenile, she was third in the Group 1 Poule d’Essai des Pouliches, took second in the Group 1 Prix Maurice de Gheest and then won the Group 1 Prix de la Foret before crossing the atlantic where, at the age of four, she added the Grade 2 Palomar Handicap and Grade 3 Las Cienegas Handicap and finished runner-up in the Grade 1 Matriarch Stakes.

Etoile Montante, another Juddmonte homebred, died at the age of 15, but her offspring include Starformer (by Dynaformer), who was Group 3-placed at Longchamp before going to the USA where she won the Grade 2 New York Stakes over 10 furlongs at Belmont Park and a trio of Grade 3 contests at 11-12 furlongs.

Viviana and Willstar are half-sisters to Grade 1-placed Grade 2 scorer Revasser (by Riverman) and to Grade 1-placed stakes winner Hometown Queen (by Pleasant Colony), the latter being the dam of Grade 2 winner and successful sire Bowman’s Band (by Dixieland Band).

They are out of Nijinsky Star (by Nijinsky), an unraced daughter of triple Grade 1-winning standout Chris Evert (by Swoons Son) and so related to a host of talented horses, including Grade/Group 1 stars Chief’s Crown (by Danzig), Classic Crown (by Mr Prospector), Excellent Art (by Pivotal) and Winning Colors (by Caro).

With family connections like these, there is every reason to hope that Expert Eye can fulfil his promise and succeed at the highest level. Should he do so then he will also have plenty of appeal as a future stallion, especially as he is by the sire of Dark Angel and Equiano.

Mehmas caught the eye when he made a winning debut over five furlongs at Chester in early May. The performance came just a few weeks after he fetched 170,000gns at the Tattersalls Craven Breeze-Up Sale, and although by a stallion often associated with speed and precocity, the distaff side of his family paints a very different picture.

With what Al Shaqab Racing's Richard Hannon-trained colt has achieved since, it is clear that he is very much his father's son rather than typical of his dam's relations, and it is going to be very interesting to see how his career turns out.

Just nine days after his debut, he turned up at Newbury where he beat Global Applause by three and a quarter lengths over six furlongs. The pair met again 12 days later, in the Listed National Stakes over five furlongs at Sandown, and this time the placings were reversed.

Mehmas returned to the longer trip at Ascot in June, where he chased home Caravaggio in the Group 2 Coventry Stakes, and he confirmed his position as one of the best juveniles seen out so far this year when beating Intelligence Cross by half a length in the Group 2 Arqana July Stakes at Newmarket on Thursday.

In post-race interviews, Hannon noted the colt's size and said that unless the bay grows by another couple of inches he would be likely to struggle next year. A busy two-year-old campaign is likely, therefore, and the Group 2 Qatar Richmond Stakes at Goodwood is due to be his next port of call.

As a Group 2-winning son of Rathbarry Stud stallion Acclamation (by Royal Applause), it is likely that Mehmas has already done enough to start attracting interest in a potential stud career of his own, and not just because of his speed and precocity. He is by the sire of leading sire Dark Angel, who did not race beyond his juvenile season, and of Equiano, the dual Group 1 King's Stand Stakes star who has made a promising start to his stallion career. Acclamation's sons also include Harbour Watch, an unbeaten colt who did not run after winning the Group 2 Richmond Stakes and whose first juveniles are winning this season.

If Mehmas runs or stars only as a two-year-old then that would make him a somewhat unusual member of his family. The best of several winners out of an unraced mare called Lucina (by Machiavellian), he was bred by Epona Bloodstock Ltd and his dam is a half-sister to 10 winners, four of whom deserve mention.

Lundy's Lane (by Darshaan) was runner-up in the Group 3 Craven Stakes and third in the Group 1 Derby Italiano, Rugged Cross (by Cape Cross) is a pattern-placed stakes winner in Australia, and the prolific Blue Monday (by Darshaan), who won two editions of the Group 3 Arc Trial at Newbury, was third in both the Group 1 Juddmonte International Stakes and Group 1 Coral-Eclipse Stakes.

The fourth notable sibling is Jakarta (by Machiavellian). A full-sister to Lucina, she won just once, the best of her progeny is the Group 2-placed Puggy (by Mark Of Esteem), and that filly is the one who gave us the French champion Avenir Certain (by Le Havre).

Placed in the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet and in the Group 1 Falmouth Stakes on her final two starts last year, that Jean-Claude Rouget-trained bay was unbeaten at two and extended her winning run to six when taking the Group 1 Poule d'Essai des Pouliches (French 1000 Guineas), Group 1 Prix de Diane (French Oaks) and Group 2 Prix de la Nonette in 2014.

Lunda (by Soviet Star), the grandam of Mehmas, was unplaced in three starts, but six of her siblings were winners and five of those were blacktype horses. Indeed, four members of that quintet were considerably more than just that bare description.

Luana (by Shaadi) won three times, earned her bold type when finishing third in the Listed Bentinck Stakes at Newmarket, and the best of her progeny are the Group 3 Jockey Club Cup scorer Tastahil (by Singspiel) and his half-brother Hattan (by Halling). That colt won the Group 3 Chester Vase, the Group 3 Winter Derby and the Group 3 September Stakes, he was only beaten by a nose by Sudan in the Group 1 Gran Premio di Milano, chased home Cherry Mix in the Group 1 Premio Roma, and was placed in a string of other pattern events.

Her half-sister Cloud Castle (by In The Wings) won the Group 3 Nell Gwyn Stakes, was only beaten by three-parts of a length by Leggera in the Group 1 Prix Vermeille, and was third to Catchascatchcan in the Group 1 Yorkshire Oaks. Although neither performance counted for blacktype, it is, nonetheless, worth noting that this Clive Brittain-trained bay finished fourth in both the 1000 Guineas and Oaks.

Cloud Castle went on to produce a string of winners at stud, including the Listed scorers Reverie Solitaire (by Nashwan) and Urban Castle (by Street Cry) and the Group 3 Winter Hill Stakes winner Queen's Best (by King's Best).

The three other talented racehorses out of Listed Sweet Solera Stakes winner Lucayan Princess (by High Line) were all well-known colts. Needle Gun (by Sure Blade) won the Group 2 Gallinule Stakes and Group 3 Meld Stakes, he was runner-up in the Group 1 St James's Palace Stakes, and got some winners as a National Hunt sire, most notably the dual listed-chase scorer Yes Sir.

Luso (by Salse), who won the Group 1 Derby Italiano, Group 1 Deutschlandpreis and two editions of the Group 1 Aral-Pokal, went on to become a good sire of staying chasers with dual Grade A Thyestes Chase winner Preists Leap, Grade 2 winner and Cheltenham Festival scorer Chicago Grey, and the tragically ill-fated Grade A Irish Grand National hero Hear The Echo his standout performers.

Warrsan (by Caerleon) was the most popular member of the family, and arguably the most talented. Saeed Manana's homebred globetrotter was trained by Clive Brittain, he won the Group 1 Coronation Cup as a five-year-old, beat Doyen easily in the same race 12 months later, followed that with victory in the Group 1 Grosser Preis von Baden and, at the age of seven, won a second edition of that 12 furlong prize, this time beating dual Group 1 star Gonbarda by one and a quarter lengths.

He won nine of his 43 starts, was placed in 13, earned over £1.65 million, and he ran in England, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Dubai, Hong Kong and Japan. He was retired in April 2006, at the age of eight, but before a stud place could be arranged for him he died from what was reported as “complications resulting from a tumour.”

There are also two unraced daughters of Lucayan Princess who have made a contribution to the family's reputation.

Mantesera (by In The Wings), a full-sister to Cloud Castle, is the dam of the Group 3 Winter Derby winner Nideeb (by Exceed And Excel) and of Suegioo (by Manduro), a gelding who was third in the Ebor Handicap and in the Group 2 Doncaster Cup last year year and runner-up in the Group 3 Henry II Stakes in May. He was unplaced behind Pamona in a listed contest over 14 furlongs at York this afternoon.

Maskunah (by Sadler's Wells) is responsible for the Group 3 Cumberland Lodge Stakes winner Laaheb (by Cape Cross), for the Group 3 Chipchase Stakes runner-up Ruwaiyan (by Cape Cross) and also for Guarantia (by Selkirk), a stakes-placed seven-furlong winner whose three-year-old daughter Certified (by Raven's Pass) maintained her unbeaten record with a three-length score over seven furlongs at Wolverhampton on Tuesday.

If Mehmas grows and if he has inherited anything of the stamina from the distaff side of his family, then it is possible that he could be potential Guineas colt. But his precocity and demonstrated talent is such that what he may have got from his dam is, instead, some of that speed associated with her sire and broodmare sire – Machiavellian (by Mr Prospector) and Soviet Star (by Nureyev).

If this is the case, and if his trainer's concerns about his potential to grow taller do materialise, then it could be that something like the Group 1 Middle Park Stakes may represent his ultimate peak performance on the track, before what could be a busy career at stud.