Pisanello

His trainer David O'Meara runs one of the most productive yards in the north, based at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire, and has sent out 107 winners already this season — a serious number that speaks to a well-organised operation with real depth. Within that context, Pisanello is one of the workhorses of the string: a reliable, mid-level competitor who does his job at Class 4 level, one rung below the top tier, where he has won 3 of his 19 races at that grade, or roughly 1 in every 6.

What makes him interesting is how specific his best conditions are. When the ground comes up a bit soft and wet, he transforms. In those conditions he has won 2 from 9 races — about 1 in every 4.5 — compared to a career average of closer to 1 in 12. That is a meaningful difference. Pair that with his preferred distance of between a mile-and-a-furlong and a mile-and-a-quarter — where he has won all four of his career races from 34 attempts — and you have a horse whose the yard know exactly what they are looking for when scanning the entries each week.

His last win came at York in June 2024, just over two years ago, and since then he has gone six races without adding to his tally. His most recent run was just yesterday, and his form over the last six races reads 5-4-8-9-5-4 — consistently competitive without quite getting there. Jockey Daniel Tudhope has ridden him in 18 of his races for just the one win, which is roughly 1 in every 18 together, though that partly reflects how hard wins are to find at this stage of his career rather than any failing on the rider's part.

Back in May 2022, O'Meara described him as a nice, big horse with useful form from France who could enjoy a decent summer — and he did, breaking his British duck at Beverley shortly after. More than three years on, Pisanello is still racing, still placing, and still waiting for the right patch of soft ground and a clear run.