Tough cookie who always runs a cracker

Some horses meet expectations, many more do not. That's racing. A rare few grab the world by the scruff of the neck and far exceed expectations. That's Lil Rockerfeller.

The five-year-old wasn't the most obvious candidate to evolve into a hurdling ace, with his US dirt pedigree, his lowly Flat rating, his slightly clunky name and his relatively cheap purchase price all potentially militating against a bright future. No-one told Lil Rockerfeller; his steady and unrelenting rise through the ranks, which has brought him to Saturday's Grade 1 JLT Long Walk Hurdle at Ascot with a leading chance, has been a revelation – and it's likely that all has not yet been revealed.

"He's absolutely brilliant to own," says bookmaker/punter Andy Smith, one of four co-owners – John Davies, whose gaudy silks have lent extra colour to the exercise, Paul Govier and Geoffrey Brown make up the quartet. "He just tries and tries and he's so tough – if he were a person he'd be the heavyweight champion of the world."