As the flat season gets underway, Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle reveals the top horses she's looking forward to seeing in action in 2026. Her list includes a range of promising horses, from talented three-year-olds to seasoned performers. One such horse is Richard Hannon's five-year-old, who has taken his form to new heights since autumn, winning a valuable handicap at Ascot and the Listed Cammidge Stakes at Doncaster.
Doyle expects a smooth transition into Group company for this horse. Another horse on her radar is a lovely big son of New Bay, who gave her a nice feel when scoring on debut at Chelmsford City.
Despite his greenness, he was well in control in his 10f maiden and can hopefully build on this performance. Doyle is also excited about a three-year-old's belated debut performance in a Saint-Cloud newcomers race, where he toyed with his opposition over 1m. This son of Caravaggio looks like a star in the making for Aga Khan Studs.
Aidan O'Brien's son of Wootton Bassett is another horse Doyle is expecting big things from, having made virtually all the running to stake his own Classic claims in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy last autumn. William Haggas's son of Kingman, a half-brother to Group 1 star King Of Change, is also one to watch, having shown promise in his Newbury debut and taken another step forward in a similar race at Doncaster's Lincoln Meeting. Doyle's husband Tom Marquand partnered a filly to a debut win at Newbury, and she has a hefty price tag to live up to, but still has the world at her feet. Archie Watson's son of Havana Grey, despite winning a Lingfield maiden last summer, felt a bit on the weak side when he finished down the field in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, but has done well physically since and shaped well enough in his comeback run.
Ed Walker's filly, a daughter of Starman, could fit the bill as a headline horse for David Ward, having been much too classy for her rivals in a 6f Nottingham maiden last summer. Doyle's boss Archie Watson has been patient with a son of Sea The Stars, who made a spectacular winning debut for her at Newcastle recently.
Karl Burke's son of Night Of Thunder, who made it four from four in the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket, is another horse Doyle is excited about, with Karl reporting that he's wintered well and is aiming him at the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury.