There is no greater satisfaction than when a well-crafted plan comes together.

The naming process at Coolmore has been carefully refined over the years and it is no coincidence that the best from Ballydoyle boast illustrious names: think Galileo, Australia and City Of Troy. In a rare interview on the subject in the aftermath of Ruler Of The World's Derby victory in 2013, John Magnier offered a fascinating insight into the genius method for naming the best racehorses in the world.

The process is simply described in two words: Sue Magnier. John's wife Sue is the mastermind behind the system, where all young horses are given a rating and allocated a name dependant on their anticipated performance on the track - a ranking decided by pedigree and early promise shown.

In early 2024, a colt was named Henri Matisse - after the famous French painter, best known for his use of colour alongside contemporary Pablo Picasso (yet to be used). It was a classic year of names which featured the usual cast of historical figures (Roosevelt, Shackleton and Isambard Brunel), famous locations (Serengeti, Lambourn and Scandinavia) and the simple, yet creative, single words (Merrily, Happiest and Ecstatic).

Henri Matisse's pedigree must have contributed to a high rating, propelling the Wootton Bassett colt into the upper echelons of the 2022 crop. The bay colt was out of Immortal Verse, a Pivotal mare who ran in the noted green-and-white striped silks of Richard Strauss.

Trained by Robert Collet in France, Immortal Verse was a debut winner at Deauville in August 2010. It took time for the filly to come to hand, suffering defeats in the Prix du Louvre and Poule d'Essai des Pouliches, before a comfortable success in the Prix de Sandringham – a victory that marked the start of a winning run that included both the Group 1 Coronation Stakes and the Prix Jacques le Marois.

It was little surprise when Immortal Verse was entered in the 2013 Tattersalls December Mares Sale, that she attracted significant attention. In foal to Dansili, the mare fetched 4.7 million – a new European record for a broodmare – and ended up in the hands of a new partnership from within Coolmore. As in her own racing career, Immortal Verse's transition to stud took time. First foal Literary Society failed to score, the 2016 War Front colt won on debut but was not seen again and his 2017 full-brother only achieved earnings of £3,359 in a short-lived career.

Things changed with the 2019 foal. Tenebrism, by first-season sire Caravaggio, won the Cheveley Park Stud Stakes as a juvenile and the 2020 filly, named Statuette, was an early flagbearer for Justify in Ireland, taking the Airlie Stud Stakes at the Curragh.

Hopes were high for Henri Matisse, and he duly delivered, ending his juvenile career with a hard-fought victory in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar. But it felt, as the colt was a notable absentee from the 2000 Guineas at Newmarket, that a plan was in place.

Returning in late March with a victory over seven furlongs in the Group 3 Red Rocks Stakes at Leopardstown, Henri Matisse clearly did not fall into the same 'slightly behind' category as O'Brien's other Guineas prospects. The decision to avoid Newmarket appeared premeditated, and as the colt appeared in the Longchamp parade ring in prime condition, the choice looked calculated.

Out of a French-trained champion racemare, named after a French painter and winner of a French Guineas – très bien.