Empty Nest

The first win arrived at Wetherby on Boxing Day 2024, which is one of the most atmospheric race days in the British calendar — packed crowds, festive atmosphere, genuinely competitive racing. Not a bad place to open your account. Then, just over three months later, Empty Nest backed it up at Newcastle in March 2025. Two wins in one season after years of near-misses is a meaningful step forward for a horse at this level.

At Class 5, which is the entry-level tier of British racing, Empty Nest has won 2 from 14 races — that's 14%, or roughly 1 in every 7 attempts at that grade, which is actually a decent return. The 10 places on its record show it has been competitive far more often than the win column suggests — a horse that finishes second or third regularly is at least doing its job and earning its keep.

Jockey Jamie Hamilton has stuck with the horse through thick and thin, riding it in 20 of its 23 races and sharing both victories. That kind of long-term partnership matters — a jockey who knows a horse's quirks and how to get the best from it is a genuine advantage. Their combined win rate of 1 in every 10 races together reflects the horse's overall level, but the fact that Hamilton has been there for every breakthrough moment says something about the trust between rider and yard.

Mark Walford trains out of Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire and has had a productive season, sending out 35 winners — a yard in decent form. Empty Nest raced just yesterday, so it is clearly in a busy spell of work. It hasn't won in its last six races, and the most recent win is now 13 months ago, so there is ground to make up. But this is a horse with recent form figures showing a string of placings — third, second, second — which means it keeps showing up. Whether another win is coming is the question worth watching.