Imperial Data

The horse's spiritual home is Cartmel, the famously tight, idiosyncratic course tucked into the Lake District. Imperial Data has won 3 from 7 there — almost half his visits have ended in victory, which is a remarkable hit rate at any track. His most recent win came at Cartmel on 25 August 2025 in a Class 2, one of the better races you'll find in Britain outside the major festivals. Winning at that level, at a track he clearly adores, suggests this is a horse who knows exactly what he's doing when conditions suit.

And conditions matter. Put Imperial Data on wet or muddy ground and he becomes a different animal — 2 wins from just 3 races in those conditions, a staggering 67%. Trainer Rebecca Menzies, who operates out of Morden in County Durham and has sent out 36 winners already this season, noted that he needs decent ground to show his best. That might sound contradictory, but in northern jump racing the distinction between "wet" and "unraceable" is well understood, and Imperial Data clearly hits his sweet spot when the ground is soft without being a bog.

His partnership with jockey Ross Chapman is one worth watching. The pair have teamed up 14 times and won 4 of them — winning about 1 in every 3.5 races together, or 29% — which is a meaningfully better record than Imperial Data's overall average. After one winning ride, Chapman noted that the finish was later than he'd have liked, and that the horse was getting into trouble at the jumps. That kind of honest assessment from a winning jockey tells you something: there is still room for improvement, which at nine years old is an encouraging sign rather than a warning.

His form over the last six races reads as patchy at first glance, but the most recent entry is a win, and he raced just yesterday. Imperial Data is active, competitive, and at a course and in conditions he loves, capable of beating horses well above his usual class.