Wrist Art

Both career wins came in a tight three-week window in autumn 2023 — first at Punchestown in September, then at Thurles in early October. That was 32 months ago now, and Wrist Art has not won since. The ten places scattered across its career suggest a horse that often runs well enough to be competitive, just not quite well enough to win. Most of its racing has come at Class 6, the entry level of British racing, where you might expect a horse of this experience to be picking up wins — yet it has gone zero from seven at that level, which underlines just how hard winning is, even at the bottom of the ladder.

The partnership with jockey Wayne Hassett stands out as the most productive the horse has had. Together they have won 2 of their 11 races, which works out at roughly 1 in every 5 — a sharp contrast to the overall career figures and a good sign that when Hassett is in the saddle, something clicks. The horse is trained by James Owen at Newmarket, a yard that has been in serious form this season with 204 winners sent out — so the support structure around Wrist Art is clearly strong. Raced just yesterday and still active, there is no suggestion of the horse being wound down. The recent run of five races without a win, including finishes of fifth, third, sixth, eighth, tenth and seventh, shows a horse that continues to show up and run respectable races even if the wins feel like a distant memory. The third place in that sequence is a reminder that the ability is still there — it just needs the planets to align one more time.