Victoria Milano

Her two wins came at very different moments. The first arrived at Ludlow in October 2023, and then she saved her best for Sandown Park in February 2024 — a track with a reputation for sorting out the genuine horses from the pretenders. That Sandown win was the high point of her career so far, and it's clearly stayed in the memory of trainer Oliver Greenall and his co-trainer Josh Guerriero, who are still chasing that same level of form now, 27 months later.

She hasn't won in her last six races, and her recent results — a couple of third-place finishes sandwiched around some less impressive runs — paint the picture of a horse that is trying but not quite delivering. The yard has been open about why. Speaking earlier this year, the team felt she was simply missing something — not showing the engine they knew she had. She showed promise at Uttoxeter and travelled promisingly at Bangor, but couldn't sustain her effort to the line. The decision was made to send her for a wind operation, a procedure designed to improve breathing and help horses get to the end of their races more effectively. It's the kind of call a trainer makes when they haven't given up on a horse — they just think there's a mechanical reason why it's underperforming.

The yard itself is in fine form this season, having sent out 43 winners, so when they say Victoria Milano is one to keep on side if the operation works, that's worth taking seriously. She races at a competitive but not elite level, and at Class 4, her record of 1 win from 10 races — roughly 1 in 10 — reflects how hard it is to land those races consistently. But a horse who won at Sandown clearly has ability. Whether the wind op unlocks it again is the question worth watching.