Imperial Saint

Trained by Philip Hobbs and Johnson White at their Somerset yard in Bilbrook — a team that has sent out 37 winners already this season — Imperial Saint has quietly built one of the more impressive CVs in his division. His overall record reads six wins and 11 places from 18 races, meaning he has won roughly 1 in every 3 races he has entered (33%), and has finished in the money in nearly every second outing. That is a horse who turns up and competes, not one who flatters to deceive. His partnership with jockey Micheal Nolan has been particularly productive: together they have won 5 of their 12 races, a rate of 42%, or just under 1 in every 2-and-a-half times they line up together.

The highlight reel is genuinely impressive. He won a Class 2 race at Aintree on Boxing Day 2024, then stepped up to win a Class 1 at Haydock in January 2026 — one of the top races in Britain — showing he belongs at the very highest level. His trainers speak of a horse who has been getting better throughout his career, not one coasting on early promise. Johnson White noted after the Haydock win that he still believes there is improvement to come, and that Imperial Saint has earned serious consideration for the Grand National. Philip Hobbs added that the horse needs to race left-handed, which Aintree — home of the National — neatly provides.

His best distance is somewhere between one-and-a-half and two miles, where he has won all three races he has contested at that trip. On normal ground, he has won 2 from 3. On wet or muddy ground, his record is patchier — but his trainer pointed to his footwork on softer going at Haydock as a deliberate tactical choice that paid off. His most recent run, just yesterday, keeps him firmly in the conversation. At eight years old, Imperial Saint is not winding down. If anything, the team around him are looking up.