Rosallion, a leading 2-year-old of 2023, won the Irish 2000 Guineas and the Group 1 St. James’s Palace Stakes last year at age 3. The only horse to defeat him during 2024, Notable Speech, took down Rosallion in 2000 Guineas at Newmarket in England, and went on to capture the Group 1 Sussex over older horses before finishing a troubled third in the Breeders’ Cup Mile. The question regarding the J.T. Lockinge Stakes on Saturday at Newbury: Do you want these two 4-year-olds who excelled as sophomores or a different one, Dancing Gemini, who had a somewhat lost 3-year-old season but already has shown who he has become at 4? Dancing Gemini finished second, beaten a half-length, in the French 2000 Guineas about a year ago, but then was thrown to the wolves in the Derby, going a 1 1/2-mile distance at Epsom Downs that was well beyond his capabilities. Rather than regroup, his connections tried another major contest, the 1 1/4-mile Eclipse, and again Dancing Gemini floundered. By the time he got back to what appears to be his best trip, one mile, Dancing Gemini came up flat in the Sussex. A couple of months later, his season ended with a tame fourth over soft going in the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II at Ascot in October. A winner twice already this year, Dancing Gemini looks like a different horse. In both the listed Doncaster Mile in late March and the Group 2 Sandown Mile on April 29, Dancing Gemini dominated. He relaxed beautifully during early stages, carried his jockey into contention without being asked, and finished things off with high-level acceleration. He demonstrated his good-ground capabilities winning at Sandown, will get similar conditions Saturday, and can post a mild upset over the two favorites. And as a little lagniappe, the great Ryan Moore picks up the mount. :: Get ready for the Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies! The Lockinge, a straight mile that’s fairly testing, annually marks the beginning of Group 1 older-horse racing in England. In Notable Speech and Rosallion, the race has drawn two horses expected to play key roles in major races between one mile and 1 1/4 miles. Rosallion, trained by Richard Hannon and ridden by Sean Levey, hasn’t started since winning the St. James’s Palace at Royal Ascot last June. Rosallion contracted an illness that wound up costing him a good portion of the summer, and rather than rush back for sodden autumn racing, connections awaited 2025 with a brilliant miler whose lone loss in six starts, outside the Guineas, came in his only try over soft turf. Hannon has taken Rosallion for several racecourse gallops and intends to bring him back not to shake off rust, but prepared for a representative performance. Notable Speech, seventh in the St. James’s Palace, makes his first start since the Breeders’ Cup. On Thursday, he was decidedly cool in ante-post betting, offered at a general 4-1. Group 1-winning Tamfana, a 4-year-old filly who was no match for Dancing Gemini in finishing second at Sandown in her 2025 debut, apparently races in the Lockinge after connections considered next weekend’s Prix d’Ispahan in France. Another 4-year-old filly, Fallen Angel, won the Irish 1000 Guineas last spring but has a couple of lengths to find if she’s going to reach Lockinge contention in her first start since October. :: Get free past performances, analysis, and picks for international racing, including Australia