Pisanello

The horse has shown genuine form at Class 4 level, winning 3 of his last 19 races at that grade, a win rate of roughly 1 in 6. More tellingly, Pisanello thrives on slightly soft or muddy ground, winning 2 of his 10 races when conditions turn that way — a 20% win rate that stands well above his career average. It was on such ground at Hamilton Park in early August that he secured his most recent victory, suggesting he still has races to win if the weather cooperates. His last six outings reveal a horse in form: third in his most recent run a day ago, followed by two wins and two more placings before that. He has won 3 of his last 6 races, an impressive mini-streak that shows he remains sharp and capable.

Trained by David O'Meara at Upper Helmsley in North Yorkshire, Pisanello has had a long association with the yard. When O'Meara gave him his first career win at Beverley in April 2022, the trainer noted he was a substantial horse with some useful form from his time racing in France, and suggested he could develop into a solid summer performer. Four years and dozens of races later, Pisanello has done exactly that — not a star, but a reliable, hard-working operator who knows how to win when the ground and the race type align. For a horse that competes most often at the lower end of the professional scale, that consistency is its own kind of achievement.