Celestarak

The most encouraging sign is that Celestarak's best run came recently. Just two months ago, he won at Goodwood, a track that clearly suits him. Since then, however, he has found the going tougher. His last six races tell a story of struggle: a fifth place, an eighth, a twelfth, a ninth, a place, and most recently another fifth, just a day ago. The pattern suggests he performs well at certain tracks or under certain conditions, but has not yet worked out how to reproduce that Goodwood form with any regularity.

David Menuisier, his trainer at Pulborough in West Sussex, is working with a horse that has the ability to win—he has proved that—but finding the right race and the right circumstances remains the puzzle. Menuisier's yard has sent out 20 winners this season, so there is form in the stable. For Celestarak, the challenge now is to string together better results and prove that his Goodwood success was not a one-off.