Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle shares her top 10 horses to watch in 2026 as the flat season gets underway. Richard Hannon's five-year-old has shown impressive form since autumn, winning a valuable handicap at Ascot and the Listed Cammidge Stakes at Doncaster. Doyle expects him to transition smoothly into Group company.
A newcomer, a son of New Bay, gave Doyle a promising feel when scoring on debut at Chelmsford City and is expected to improve. Another standout is a three-year-old son of Caravaggio, who dominated a newcomers race at Saint-Cloud and is hailed as a potential star. Aidan O'Brien's son of Wootton Bassett is a serious Derby contender, having made all the running in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy. William Haggas's son of Kingman, a half-brother to King Of Change, has shown promise and is expected to improve.
Doyle's husband, Tom Marquand, partnered a debut-winning filly at Newbury, who has a high price tag to live up to but is closely related to Group stars. A son of Havana Grey, despite being rusty, shaped well in his comeback run and can still develop into a stakes performer. A daughter of Starman could be a headline horse for David Ward, having won a maiden at Nottingham and finishing close behind Zanthos in the Group 2 Rockfel.
A son of Sea The Stars made a spectacular winning debut and will be interesting to watch in deeper waters. Karl Burke's son of Night Of Thunder is aiming for the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury after a successful season.