Monteille

The key detail is that Baratti credits a late push from racing manager John Hammond for the decision to run at Chantilly at all — it wasn't his idea. When the horse did run, she was, in his words, "very impressive." That suggests the form figures don't yet capture what she's capable of, and that the team around her believes there's something genuinely worth chasing. A trainer who is considering Royal Ascot — one of the most prestigious race meetings in the world — is not doing so out of politeness.

At five years old, Monteille is not a young horse still finding her feet in the usual sense, but the Chantilly run is being treated as a comeback rather than a continuation, which reframes everything. She apparently needed that race to shake off the rust, and now the yard is keeping her ticking over lightly — one easy canter this week — before a decision is made about Ascot. She's also entered in the Goffs London Sale ahead of the meeting, which means her ownership situation could change. A horse being offered for sale while simultaneously being considered for Royal Ascot is an interesting combination: whoever might buy her would be getting a horse with immediate big-race ambitions attached.

Mario Baratti's yard has had just one winner this season, so this is not a high-volume operation firing on all cylinders. That makes the confidence around Monteille stand out even more. When a small yard points a horse at a major meeting, they usually mean it.