Fast Steps

The breakthrough came at Sandown Park in August 2022, and his most recent win, at Newbury on 4 July 2024, came more than two years ago. Since then the wins have dried up, though he remains active and in the mix most days. His last six runs show the pattern: a fifth, a fourth, a ninth, a second, and two thirds. Not the form of a horse in decline exactly, but the form of a middle-aged competitor grinding away at Class 4 level, where he has won twice from 24 races. He loves dry ground — he has managed 2 wins from just 15 races on fast, firm conditions, a win rate of roughly 1 in 7 — and a recent third at Windsor, ridden by Patrick Millman (who rides him best, with 1 win from 11 races together), suggested there is still a spark there.

The racing manager noted after Epsom that Fast Steps is improving, though he was careful not to oversell it. He is no world beater. But owned by Eric Gadsden and trained by a yard sending out winners regularly, he has given his the yard good value and plenty of entertainment days out. At eight years old and still racing actively just a week ago, he belongs to that honest, journeyman class of horse — the kind that turns up, tries hard, and occasionally reminds you why anyone bothered in the first place.