Capone

That Chester win came over a distance between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, the range where Capone has done all of its best work. Across 11 races at those longer trips, it has won once — roughly 1 in every 11 attempts, or about 9%. That is not a dazzling number, but it does at least suggest the horse is in its right element when the race is a genuine test of stamina. The concern is what has happened since: six races without a win, with recent finishes of fifth, fifth, ninth, ninth, sixth, and fifth. Competitive-ish, but not threatening the front.

Capone is trained by Dominic Ffrench Davis at Lambourn, a yard that has sent out 10 winners this season and is clearly capable of getting horses to the track in good shape. The most regular rider is Ben Ffrench Davis, who has partnered Capone in five of those races without a win between them. That combination has yet to click. Most of Capone's races have come at Class 5 level — the lower end of the professional racing ladder — and across 13 races at that grade, it has yet to win a single one.

What keeps Capone interesting, if anything, is that it is still out there. Still racing at 11, still finishing in the top six more often than not, still being pointed at races with something to prove. The Chester win was real — it happened, it counts — and horses with that kind of staying ability over a mile and three-quarters can sometimes find a race that suits them perfectly, on a day when everything falls right. Whether that day comes again for Capone is the question. So far, the answer has been a polite but persistent no.