Mr Mistoffelees

His two wins illustrate this point. The first came at Kempton Park in December 2022, and the second — more recent, and more surprising to his the yard — arrived at Newcastle in October 2025, nearly three years later. Since that Newcastle victory, he has not won again across his last six races, though he has finished second twice and fifth once, which keeps him in contention. When the ground and distance align, he shows promise. Over the 1m1f to 1m2f range, where he clearly prefers to race, he has won 2 of 22 races — roughly 9 per cent, double his overall win rate — suggesting this middle distance is where his best chances lie. At Class 4 level, where most of his races have been run, he has won just 1 of 22, so he is not a specialist at this grade.

Oisin Orr, who rides him most often, has partnered the horse 8 times and won once together, a win rate of 12 per cent — slightly better than Mr Mistoffelees's career average. With the horse still active and only a day since his last race, it remains to be seen whether England's patient approach will produce another surprise victory, or whether consistency without the wins is simply his level.