L'Empire Vert

The career numbers are modest at first glance: 2 wins and 4 places from 13 races, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 7. But context matters. L'Empire Vert only got off the mark for the first time at Ludlow in November 2025, so this is a horse that is still finding itself, still learning what it is capable of. And the answer, increasingly, seems to be: quite a lot. Just this week, the horse won at Ffos Las — the most recent of its 13 races, run only a day ago. That is about as fresh a result as it gets.

The distance question is worth paying attention to. Over 1 mile 6 furlongs to 2 miles, L'Empire Vert has won 1 from 4 races — a 25% win rate, which means it wins 1 in every 4 times it races at those trips. That is a meaningfully better record than its overall 1-in-7 average, and it suggests the horse has a gear that only engages when asked to stay on and grind. Shorter distances seem to suit it less.

What makes the yard's achievement here easy to overlook is the scale of the operation. Sheila Lewis has sent out just 5 winners this season from Brecon — a part of Wales not exactly synonymous with racing powerhouses. Every winner from a setup like that represents real work and careful placing, and the fact that L'Empire Vert has contributed two of those wins says something about how well this horse has been managed. That said, regular jockey Sean Houlihan is still waiting for his first win together with the horse across 9 rides — a reminder that even when things go right for the yard, the racing itself rarely runs to a clean script.

L'Empire Vert races mostly at Class 5 level, which is the bread-and-butter tier of British racing — competitive enough, but not the top table. Still, a horse that wins in that company, finds its best form late, and just ran a winner this week is one worth keeping an eye on.