Sky Sports Racing ambassador Hollie Doyle has shared the ten horses that have captured her imagination for the 2026 flat campaign. As the season gathers momentum, she highlighted a blend of seasoned performers and promising newcomers, each with the potential to make a significant impact on the track. First on her list is a five-year-old trained by Richard Hannon. The colt has taken a noticeable step forward since the autumn, beginning with a valuable handicap victory at Ascot in October.
He followed that up by defeating the higher‑rated Jasour in the Listed Cammidge Stakes at Doncaster on the opening day of the flat season. Doyle believes the horse suits the Hannon operation perfectly and expects a seamless progression into Group‑class races, where he could become a genuine contender. Next, Doyle points to a sizeable New Bay colt who impressed her with a confident debut at Chelmsford City in early March.
Although still green, the youngster handled the ten‑furlong maiden race with poise and control. His joint‑trainer Jamie Insole is reportedly targeting a lucrative spring handicap at Newbury, giving the colt a clear stepping‑stone toward higher‑level competition. The third horse is a three‑year‑old who made a striking late debut in a newcomers' race at Saint‑Cloud at the end of March.
Sired by Caravaggio, the gelding displayed a turn of foot over a mile, prompting comparisons to the celebrated Caledonian. While the comparison sets a high bar, Doyle notes that the horse is in excellent hands with trainer Francis Graffard. Although he is a gelding and therefore cannot become a breeding stallion, his racing potential remains undiminished.
Aidan O'Brien’s son of Wootton Bassett is another standout on Doyle’s radar. Although he was not the primary hope for the Group 1 Futurity Trophy last autumn, he ran a near‑perfect race that hinted at Classic ambitions.
Out of the champion mare Hydrangea, who claimed victories in the Champions Day Fillies’ and Mares’ races, the colt is expected to stay in training and improve over longer distances. Doyle sees him evolving into a serious Derby prospect as the season progresses.
William Haggas has a promising Kingman offspring that Doyle believes will continue to improve. The half‑brother of Group 1 winner King Of Change placed second in his Newbury debut in October and then showed further progress at Doncaster’s Lincoln Meeting, despite being heavily weighted in the final stages. Although his entry for the 2000 Guineas may not be taken up, the very fact that it exists signals the high regard in which the horse is held.
Doyle also mentions a filly owned by her husband Tom Marquand, who secured a debut win at Newbury late last season. The filly carries a hefty price tag of £1.7 million and is closely related to Haggas’s Group‑level performers My Oberon and My Prospero. With an entry in the Irish Oaks, Doyle anticipates that Tom will continue to partner with her on this high‑priced youngster, hoping she will live up to her pedigree. Another horse that caught Doyle’s eye is a son of Havana Grey trained by Archie Watson.
After winning a maiden at Lingfield last summer, the colt struggled in the Coventry Stakes at Royal Ascot, finishing towards the rear. Since then, he has shown physical improvement and returned to the track in a Listed sprint at Deauville in early March, where he looked sharp despite some rust.
Doyle believes the colt has the makings of a stakes‑level sprinter if he continues on his upward trajectory. David Ward’s daughter of the ace sprinter Starman is also on Doyle’s watch list. Trained by Ed Walker, the filly dominated a six‑furlong maiden at Nottingham last summer and later ran a strong second‑place effort behind Zanthos in the Group 2 Rockfel at Newmarket. A favourite of Kieran Shoemark, she now holds an entry for the 1000 Guineas and appears capable of staying the mile distance.
Archie Watson’s son of Sea The Stars delivered a spectacular debut win at Newcastle, exceeding Doyle’s expectations. The colt’s striking first‑time performance suggests a high level of innate talent, and the connections have already entered him in the Feilden Stakes at Newmarket. Doyle hopes the youngster will become a flagbearer for the yard throughout the summer, potentially stepping up to higher‑grade contests. Karl Burke’s Night Of Thunder offspring finished an unbeaten four‑for‑four campaign with a dominant victory in the Group 2 Joel Stakes at Newmarket in September, beating the 119‑rated Godolphin horse Opera Ballo with ease.
Burke reports that the colt wintered well and is now being aimed at the Group 1 Lockinge Stakes at Newbury, a target that seems perfectly suited to his development at this point in the year. In summarising her selections, Doyle emphasized the blend of proven talent, promising bloodlines, and strategic training plans that underpin each horse’s potential. She noted that while some of the horses are already making their mark at Group level, others are still in the early stages of their careers but possess the attributes required to ascend quickly.
Doyle concluded her discussion with Sky Sports Racing’s Simon Mapletoft, expressing excitement for the upcoming season and confidence that the horses she has highlighted will deliver memorable performances across the flat racing calendar.