Empress Olivia

Both of her wins have come at Ripon, which is a detail worth filing away. She first broke her duck there in August 2025, then came back to the same track and did it again in April 2026 — something about that place clearly suits her. Whether it is the layout of the course, the way the ground tends to ride, or simply a happy coincidence, horses that win repeatedly at the same venue often keep doing so. Ripon could be her home track in the truest sense.

The recent form makes for interesting reading. Her last six results, working backwards from most recent, read 6-13-4-11-1-2 — which means she won, finished second, then had a rough couple of runs, then picked things back up again. The 13th-place finish will catch the eye, but horses have bad days, and the two efforts either side of that rough patch showed she had not lost her way entirely. She raced just yesterday, so she is very much in the thick of things right now.

One relationship worth watching is the one with jockey Jack Garritty, who has partnered her five times without a win between them. That is not necessarily a problem — it takes time for a horse and rider to click — but it is a number that stands out when her two wins have come with someone else aboard. Trainer Mark Walford, based at Sheriff Hutton in North Yorkshire, has had 35 winners already this season, which tells you he knows how to keep a string in form. When the right pieces come together for Empress Olivia — the right track, the right conditions, the right day — she has shown she can deliver. The question is just when that next moment arrives.