Sanditon

What makes that Chelmsford win worth noting is that it came at Class 6, the level where Sanditon does the bulk of its racing. Across 14 races at that grade, the horse has won once — just 7%, or 1 in every 14 attempts — which tells you this is a horse competing at the accessible end of the sport rather than chasing big prizes. The career earnings and level of competition suggest a solid, consistent workhorse rather than a headline act, and there is no shame in that.

The recent form is harder to ignore. Looking at the last six races in reverse order — a win, then a non-completion, then three sixth-place finishes and another sixth — it is a sequence that reads better backwards than forwards. The victory at Chelmsford two months ago now sits at the end of a run of disappointing results, and with the horse having raced as recently as yesterday, the team at Charlie Johnston's yard in Middleham Moor are clearly keeping Sanditon busy and looking for the conditions to spark another big day.

Johnston's yard is worth a mention in itself — 128 winners this season is a serious operation, one of the more productive stables in the north of England, which means Sanditon has professional support even if it hasn't always rewarded them. Regular jockey Callum Shepherd has partnered the horse five times and is the only rider to have won on it. Together they went to Chelmsford and got the job done, which makes their 20% win rate from five shared rides — 1 from 5 — quietly impressive by comparison to the overall record. When horse and jockey click, they have shown they can deliver.