Will he or won’t he? That was the question after the devastating win of Tentyris in last month’s Lightning Stakes.

Would he take his place in this Saturday’s Newmarket, or would a punishing handicap see him stick to weight-for-age racing?

Tentyris was marked a $2 Newmarket favourite (all in, no refunds for non-appearance) as soon as they crossed the line in the Lightning.

After a seven-point ratings bump that will see him carry 57kg on Saturday he was quickly into odds-on, and he’s stayed there.

That suggests the bookies were never in much doubt that he’d front up, and weren’t minded to tempt punters.

With Jimmysstar (60kg) and Giga Kick (59kg) among Monday’s nominations there was no need for the weights to be raised, so 57kg it is for Tentyris.

But as good a race as this has been for three-year-olds, carrying it to victory will be no mean feat. The age group has won 13 of the past 28 Newmarkets and 21 of 53 in the metric era, but none of those 21 winners has had more than the 56kg carried by Weekend Hussler in 2008.

Weekend Hussler had won the Caulfield Guineas, Coolmore Stud Stakes and Oakleigh Plate going into the Newmarket, one more Group 1 than Tentyris owns.

In fact, Tentyris will have to equal (almost) the all-time weight-carrying record for a three-year-old in the Newmarket, set by Ajax in 1938 with nine stone (57.15kg). At the time Ajax was already a winner of four races that are now Group 1s.

Weight matters in the Newmarket. Eight of the past 13 winners have had 52.5kg or less. A three-year-old in that category this year is the maligned Wodeton, whose nine straight losses since his debut victory have him on the minimum 50kg (still 1.5kg above his rating).