Victoria Milano

Her two wins are an interesting pair. The first came at Ludlow in October 2023, getting off the mark at a track that suits front-runners and grinders alike. But the one that really put her on the map was Sandown Park in February 2024 — a track with a brutally demanding finish that exposes any horse not truly staying the distance. Winning there means something, and it is that performance that her trainer Oliver Greenall and Josh Guerriero have spent the past 28 months trying to recapture.

That gap since her last win is the central tension in this horse's story right now. Six races without a victory, and the team have been honest enough to admit they know something is off. The trainer has spoken publicly about a wind operation — a surgical procedure to address a breathing issue that can quietly rob a horse of its finishing kick without ever being obvious to the naked eye. Looking back at her recent form, it fits: she has been travelling well in races, looking like she might challenge, and then simply not getting home in the final stretch. At Bangor, by the trainer's own account, she travelled beautifully but emptied out when it mattered. That is a classic sign of a horse not getting enough air when the race gets serious.

The yard itself is in good shape — 43 winners this season is a healthy return, which gives some confidence that this is a horse-specific problem rather than a stable going through a rough patch. Victoria Milano runs mostly at Class 4 level, one step below the top half of the racing ladder, and has won just 1 of her 10 races at that level. She will need to find improvement to become a consistent winner there, but if the wind operation does what the team are hoping, that Sandown form may not be as far away as it currently looks. One to keep tabs on as she returns.