What makes the situation worth watching rather than writing off is who has the horse in their care. Charlie Johnston's yard at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire has sent out 127 winners already this season — that is a serious operation, not a small stable throwing horses at races and hoping for the best. When a yard is firing at that rate, they generally know which horses are worth persisting with and which aren't. Moon Is Up is still running, and was out just yesterday, so clearly the team believes there is something to work with.
At three years old, there is still time. Some horses take a while to mature, to find their confidence, or simply to meet a race that suits them. A fifth-place finish in that recent form suggests there have been moments of promise — it is not a horse that has trailed in last every time. Whether that translates into a first win soon is the question, and with Johnston's yard in such good form around it, the opportunity should come.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kempton Park Galloping |
2 | 2 other | 30 Mar | 0% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 15 Oct | 0% |
| Leicester Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 7 Oct | 0% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 25 Oct | 0% |