The recent form is worth a look. Over the last six races — reading from most recent backwards — Archangel Josepi has recorded a seventh, a second, a third, another seventh, a third, and a fourth. Two of those results are deeply encouraging; two of them are not. That inconsistency is perhaps the defining feature of this horse right now. On its best days it can mix it with the field and threaten the finish line, but on its worst it drops away and finishes well off the pace. Figuring out which version turns up is the puzzle.
Jockey Ben Robinson has been the regular partner throughout, riding in eight of the 12 races together without managing a win between them. That is a long partnership without a breakthrough, though it is fair to say neither horse nor rider has had much luck converting. Robinson clearly knows Archangel Josepi well by now, and that kind of familiarity can eventually pay off when the right race comes along.
The horse is trained by Brian Ellison at Norton in North Yorkshire, and the yard is in good health this season — 47 winners on the board, which is a solid, productive operation. Ellison clearly knows how to get horses winning, which means the wait for Archangel Josepi's first victory is a puzzle rather than a reflection of any shortage of skill in the yard. Most of its races have come at Class 5 level, the entry-level tier of British racing, where you would expect a competitive horse to eventually find its moment. It raced just yesterday, so it is very much an active campaign with plenty of chances still ahead. The first win will come — it is just a matter of when.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle Galloping |
7 | 2 seconds, 1 third, 4 other | 5 Mar | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
3 | 1 third, 2 other | 17 Jan | 0% |
| Redcar Galloping |
1 | 1 third | 16 Sep | 0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 30 Mar | 0% |