It’s a long way from the historic city of Bath in the west of England to Keeneland Racecourse in Lexington, Kentucky – and yet it’s a journey that Flight Signal’s trainer, Archie Watson, might already be contemplating.

This two-year-old son of Al Shaqab’s exceptional speed sire Mehmas has run just once – but what a run it was. In a maiden race at Bath, he was almost effortless in brushing aside experienced opponents and won easily. A minor event it might have been, but it’s one favoured by Watson in preparing future stable stars: two years ago, he won this very race with Aesterius – who went on to win the G2 Flying Childers Stakes for Wathnan.

The Norfolk Stakes was first run in 1843 as the New Stakes and now serves as a link to the Breeders’ Cup, the self-styled World Championships of racing. The winner today gains automatic entry into the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint at Keeneland at the end of October, a race Aesterius also competed in, having run fifth in the Norfolk (that’s him on the right of our photo at the top of the page, with the crossed noseband). The winner that afternoon? Wathnan’s Shareholder.