Tony Montana

What makes Tony Montana interesting is not what he's done, but where his trainer thinks he could go. Kevin Philippart De Foy, who has sent out 40 winners from his Newmarket yard this season alone, believes the horse has a genuine shot at the Royal Hunt Cup at Ascot — one of the most fiercely contested races of the flat season, run over a stiff mile in front of enormous crowds on a big summer afternoon. The trainer admits he's not totally convinced the distance will suit, but he's keen to find out. If Ascot doesn't work, a race at York — where Tony Montana finished third last year — is the backup plan. Either way, the horse is being aimed at serious targets.

The statistics offer a clue as to why the team are optimistic. On normal ground, Tony Montana has won 3 of his 10 races — that's 30%, a remarkable number that suggests the horse has strong opinions about conditions. At his favoured trip of a mile and three to a mile and four furlongs, he's won 3 from 15. The problem is that he's spent most of his career — 12 of his 23 races — in Class 2 company, which is among the best races in Britain, and hasn't won once at that level. He keeps showing up, but the very best keep getting past him.

Jockey David Egan has partnered him in 11 of those races, winning just the once together — roughly 1 in every 11 rides. That's a modest return, but it reflects the difficulty of the races Tony Montana is being asked to run in rather than any shortage of ability. A horse racing at career-high handicap marks, being considered for Royal Ascot, trained by a yard in fine form — there's clearly something here worth believing in. Whether Ascot will be the occasion that unlocks it remains to be seen, but this is a horse with unfinished business.