Hansteen

The breakthrough came at Pontefract on 17 July, a win that now sits two months behind him. Since then, the form has been respectable without being brilliant: a second, two more second-place finishes, a seventh, and a sixth in his last six races. That mix of near-misses and disappointments is the story of a horse that belongs in the game but hasn't yet worked out how to win it regularly. He's currently active and raced just a day ago, so the yard are keeping him busy.

What catches the eye is his performance at longer distances. Over trips between a mile and six furlongs and two miles, Hansteen has won one from four races — a 25% win rate that stands out sharply against his overall 11% record. Those middle-distance races suit him better, and that's the terrain worth watching. He's trained by John and Sean Quinn at their Norton yard in North Yorkshire, a stable that's already sent out 44 winners this season and clearly knows how to get horses ready. For a three-year-old who has shown he can win and seems to have found a distance range where he competes, there's still genuine opportunity ahead — but he needs to turn those second-place finishes into victories more often.