Emperor Spirit

The best version of Emperor Spirit tends to appear on normal ground conditions, where it has won 2 of its 13 races at that type of surface — a solid 15% win rate compared to its overall average. That's not a coincidence; it's a horse that moves well when the ground is fair, and its the yard will be watching the weather forecast as closely as anyone. Most of its racing life has been spent at Class 3 level, one rung below the very top tier, and that's where it has found the winner's enclosure three times from 17 races — winning roughly 1 in every 6 at that level, which is genuinely respectable.

Trained by Michael Keady out of Newmarket — a yard that has already sent out 16 winners this season, so form and confidence are clearly there — Emperor Spirit's most recent win came at Newmarket itself on 11 July last year. That's now 10 months ago, and the last 6 races have brought a couple of third-place finishes but no win, with a pair of poor efforts mixed in too. It hasn't found top gear recently. Hollie Doyle, one of the most recognisable jockeys in British racing, has ridden Emperor Spirit 8 times and won once together — a 12% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 8 rides. That's actually above the horse's overall average, which suggests they suit each other well enough.

At 8 years old, Emperor Spirit isn't getting younger, but the fact it raced just yesterday tells you this is a horse still being trained with intent, not one being gently wound down. The trainer clearly thinks there's another good day in it. Whether that day comes soon is the question — but based on its record, it's the sort of horse you wouldn't want to dismiss too quickly.