Star Banner

The recent form reads 3-6-3, which tells an interesting story. Two third-place finishes either side of a sixth shows a horse that can run well on its day but hasn't been entirely consistent. Whether that sixth was a blip or a warning sign remains to be seen — Star Banner raced just one day ago, so this is very much a story still being written.

What works in the horse's favour is the yard it calls home. Charlie Johnston operates out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, and this season his team has sent out 131 winners — a volume that puts them among the most productive operations in British racing. A trainer sending out that many winners knows exactly what each horse needs, and a young 3-year-old with a couple of places on the board is precisely the kind of project a big, confident yard can develop. If there is a win in Star Banner, Johnston's team will find it.