What is not in question is the quality of the operation behind him. Jonathan Portman trains out of Upper Lambourn in Berkshire, and this season his yard has sent out 46 winners — a total that marks him out as one of the more productive trainers in the country right now. A horse does not leave a yard running that hot by accident. Portman's team clearly have him ready to run, and that counts for something when a young horse steps into the unknown for the first time.
Debut runners are always a mystery, but a well-bred two-year-old from a yard in this kind of form is worth watching closely. Prince Lucifer arrives with potential rather than a record — and today is where the story starts.