Staniel Cay

The recent form paints a mixed picture. Over the last six runs, Staniel Cay has finished fourth twice, third once, fifth once, sixth once, and fourth again — a pattern of moderate effort without much shine. What stands out is that when the horse has stepped up to race in top-class company, the results have flatlined: zero wins from three attempts at that level, which tells you Staniel Cay belongs in lower-grade races, at least for now. That April success at Nottingham remains the high point of its career so far.

Grant Tuer's yard at Birkby in North Yorkshire has had a solid season with 29 winners to their name, so Staniel Cay is trained by someone with a working operation. Whether the horse will find another win before the season ends remains to be seen, but at three years old there is still time for improvement. For now, it is a horse that showed promise early and is waiting to prove that first win was not a one-off.