Artisan Dancer

The place he competes best is Southwell, the all-weather track in Nottinghamshire. Two wins from 6 races there — winning 1 in every 3 — is a noticeably better record than anywhere else, and his most recent win came at Southwell in March of this year. Some horses simply click with a particular track, perhaps the shape of the bends or the surface, and Southwell seems to bring out something extra in him. His trainer Charlie Johnston, based at the famous Middleham Moor yard in North Yorkshire, has been candid about where Artisan Dancer fits in the world: he's a touch too high in the weights for the very bottom of the big long-distance races like the Chester Cup, but exactly the right horse for the competitive staying contests just below that level. That is a useful horse to have, not a superstar, but a reliable professional who wins races.

What is striking about his recent form is the contrast. Two wins from his last 6 races — including a first, then a seventh, then a first again — suggest a horse in good shape who just occasionally has an off day. His most consistent conditions are normal ground, where he has won 7 of his 25 races on that surface, a win rate of 28%. That is a significantly better record than his overall average, and it is worth noting for anyone watching him run this summer. Jockey Jason Hart has ridden him nine times and won twice together, winning roughly 1 in every 4 and a half rides — a productive partnership.

Johnston's yard has sent out 128 winners already this season, so this is a busy, well-run operation. Artisan Dancer is not its headline act, but Johnston expects another productive year from him in staying races. Given that he raced yesterday and keeps finding the winner's enclosure at Southwell, that confidence seems well-placed.