Sax Appeal

Charlie Johnston, whose yard at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire has been in exceptional form this season — 129 winners and counting — trains Sax Appeal, and it is easy to see why the horse suits a professional, well-organised operation. He is not flashy, but he is consistent and he knows what he is doing.

What Sax Appeal really knows is Southwell. The all-weather track in Nottinghamshire is his playground: 3 wins from 7 races there, which works out at winning nearly 1 in every 2 times he lines up. In racing, that kind of course record is genuinely rare. Most horses are broadly the same wherever they run. When one shows a strong preference for a specific track, you pay attention. His career began there with his first win in January 2023, and he was back winning there as recently as late December 2025 — so this is not a coincidence or a fluke, it is a pattern.

The other thing that sets Sax Appeal apart is what happens when the race gets long. Over distances of two miles or more, he wins 3 from 9 — that is 1 in every 3 races, well above his overall average. Staying races suit horses with a particular engine, and his suggests he genuinely relishes a test of stamina rather than just tolerating it. Put him over a long trip at Southwell and you have a horse operating right in his comfort zone.

His recent form is a little mixed — a win, a second, then a couple of quieter efforts — and his partnership with regular jockey Archie Young has produced just 1 win from 12 races together, which is something of a puzzle given how well the horse performs overall. He raced 16 days ago and remains in active training. At the level he competes — solid, competitive Class 4 races — Sax Appeal has quietly carved out a career that any owner would be happy with.