John Norton

The closest thing to a highlight in Norton's recent record is his partnership with Dakota Beat, a horse he has sent out 21 times. That they have managed just one win together tells its own story — but it also means Dakota Beat accounts for the yard's only recent success, making that single victory feel more significant than it might otherwise.

There is little to dress up here. Training horses is a grinding, expensive business, and a prolonged spell without winners puts enormous pressure on a small yard. The hope, presumably, is that the next winner is just around the corner — but until it arrives, Norton is in a difficult stretch that will take patience and belief to come through.