Velvet Rhythm

The numbers that really stand out, though, are at Catterick Bridge. Velvet Rhythm has raced there three times and won all three. That kind of record at a specific track isn't a coincidence — it suggests the tight, undulating circuit in North Yorkshire suits this horse down to the ground. Some horses just click with a particular place, and Catterick appears to bring out the very best in Velvet Rhythm. The most recent of those wins came just this week, on 8 July 2026, which means you're reading about a horse in the form of its life.

The wider picture backs that up. Looking at the last six races — 1, 1, 8, 4, 1, 1 — you can see four wins sandwiching a couple of wobbles in the middle. That eighth-place finish might raise an eyebrow, but horses are allowed an off day, and Velvet Rhythm has responded emphatically since. Ground conditions appear to matter: on fast, dry ground, this horse has won 3 of 4 races, a 75% win rate that is frankly extraordinary. When the sun has been out and the ground is quick underfoot, backing against Velvet Rhythm has looked like a losing proposition.

Behind the horse is Charlie Johnston's yard at Middleham Moor in the Yorkshire Dales, one of the most productive training operations in Britain right now. Johnston's team has already sent out 131 winners this season alone — that isn't a yard ticking over quietly, that's a machine firing on all cylinders. When a horse is trained somewhere that prolific, and it's winning nearly half its races on top of that, you pay attention. Velvet Rhythm is three years old, has raced just nine times, and is currently unbeaten in its last two outings. The story, in other words, is very much still being written.