Both of those wins have come at Kempton Park, from 13 races there — that is roughly 1 in every 6 attempts at the same venue. In racing, that kind of consistency at one track is not a coincidence. Tracks have their own character: the shape of the bends, the camber of the ground, the way the surface drains. Some horses simply suit a place, and Holy Fire suits Kempton. The most recent win came just two months ago, in January 2026, which means this is a horse currently in form and very much active — it raced just yesterday.
Conditions matter too. On wet or muddy ground, Holy Fire has won 2 from 13 races — roughly 1 in every 6-and-a-half runs — compared to a much thinner record elsewhere. That is a meaningful difference, and it tells you this is a horse that comes alive when the weather turns. Both factors combined — Kempton, soft underfoot — is when Holy Fire is genuinely dangerous.
The partnership with jockey Callum Shepherd is the other thread running through this story. Of 15 races together, Shepherd has been in the saddle for both wins, a win rate of 13%, or about 1 in every 7-and-a-half rides. That is a meaningful number for a horse operating at this level — Class 5 races, the bread-and-butter tier of the sport — and it suggests the two have developed a real understanding. Trainer Charlie Fellowes, based at Newmarket, has sent out 17 winners already this season, so the yard is in good nick.
Recent form shows a sixth, a win, then a ninth and a fourth — not sparkling, but the win is the thing that stands out. A horse that wins 1 in every 16 races overall but 1 in every 6 at its favourite track, in its favourite conditions, with its regular jockey, is a very different proposition in those specific circumstances. Holy Fire is not flashy, but it knows exactly where it belongs.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kempton Park Galloping |
13 | 2 wins, 3 seconds, 8 other | 30 Mar | 15.4% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
4 | 4 other | 15 Dec | 0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
3 | 2 seconds, 1 other | 25 Nov | 0% |
| chelmsford | 3 | 1 second, 1 third, 1 other | 9 Jul | 0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
3 | 3 other | 3 Jan | 0% |
| Great Yarmouth Galloping |
2 | 1 second, 1 other | 13 Oct | 0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 28 Jul | 0% |
| Thirsk Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 4 May | 0% |
| Epsom Downs Undulating |
1 | 1 other | 3 Jul | 0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 3 Dec | 0% |