Park Annonciade

His breakthrough came in August 2023 at Perth, then he found the winner's enclosure twice more when conditions suited him—once at Huntingdon and memorably in a Class 2 race at Haydock Park in November, the sort of big-stage victory that reminds older horses they still have something left in the tank. That Haydock win matters. Class 2 races are proper tests, and he delivered when it counted. Since then he has not quite recaptured that magic, but he has stayed consistent enough. In his last six races, he has placed in five of them, including two second-place finishes, which suggests he remains competitive even when he is not winning.

Sarah Humphrey's yard at West Wratting has kept him busy and in work—he raced just a day ago—and the exposure is keeping him sharp. The puzzle is his relationship with jockey J J Slevin, who has ridden him six times without a win between them. That is worth monitoring. Sometimes a change in the saddle unlocks something, and with soft ground coming in the winter months, Park Annonciade could easily find himself back in winning form if the yard get the ground they want and the right rider in the plate.