Enter Sandman

The 3-year-old won back-to-back races in late April — first at Newcastle on the 20th, then at Lingfield Park eight days later on the 28th — which looked like the beginning of a real run. Since then, though, things have stalled. Four months have passed without another victory. Recent form tells the story: a fourth place, then a tenth, then a fifth, followed by a second and two places. There have been encouraging moments — that second place suggests the horse is competitive — but it has not found the winner's circle again. Still, with two wins in the last six races, Enter Sandman is not entirely out of form; it is simply waiting to string together the kind of consistency that separates decent horses from good ones.

Richard Spencer's Newmarket yard has been in excellent shape this season with 30 winners already, which means the horse is in a strong training environment. Enter Sandman appears to prefer normal ground conditions, winning 2 of 9 races (22 per cent) on standard surfaces — considerably better than its overall record — so tracking the going when it next races could matter. The horse was active just a day ago, so a return to the track should come soon. Another run with Wood on board, on the right ground, might be exactly what is needed to break this four-month drought.