Havana Grey Star

What does give reason for cautious optimism is where this horse is trained. Richard Hughes operates out of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire and has sent out 60 winners already this season — that is a yard firing on all cylinders. Hughes himself is a former champion jockey who transitioned into training, and he has a well-earned reputation for knowing how to develop young horses. When a trainer of that calibre keeps running a horse that has yet to trouble the judge, it usually means they can see something at home that the racecourse form has not yet captured.

At two years old, Havana Grey Star is still essentially a learner. Many horses at this age are still working out what racing actually involves — the noise, the starting stalls, the pack of horses around them. A fourth place finish is not a disaster; it means the horse is competitive enough to be in the mix, just not yet good enough, or perhaps not yet ready enough, to break through. With a strong yard behind it and the season still live, there is time for that to change. Whether it does will be the interesting question to follow.