Why Not Win

Trained by Charlie Johnston at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, Why Not Win is part of one of British racing's most productive yards. Johnston's team has sent out 128 winners already this season, which is a remarkable volume of success — that is not a yard where horses hang around waiting for things to click. Middleham Moor is a historic training base high on the Yorkshire moors, and the Johnston operation is one of the most well-organised and ambitious in the country. Horses that belong here tend to be given every opportunity to progress.

One run, one fifth place, no wins yet — on paper that sounds like a slow start. But for a three-year-old with a single outing behind them, it is barely a beginning. Most young horses take time to find their feet, and a fifth on debut tells you the horse is racing competitively without yet showing its best. The name Why Not Win feels almost like a challenge — and with a yard firing at this rate, the answer to that question may come sooner than you might expect.