Imperial Jade

The most recent victory came at Huntingdon in March 2025, around 13 months ago now, and Imperial Jade has not been able to add to that tally in the six races since. That run of results — including an eighth-place finish and three consecutive pulled-up or fell markers in the middle of the sequence — suggests the horse has had a difficult patch, though it did bounce back to finish fourth, third, and second in earlier runs during that stretch. A short break of 69 days has followed, and it would be no surprise if the team at Charlie Longsdon's yard in Chipping Norton are hoping a fresher horse returns to its best.

Longsdon's operation is in solid form, having sent out 34 winners already this season, so there is no shortage of confidence in the yard. Imperial Jade's regular partner in the saddle is Lilly Pinchin, who has ridden the horse in 9 of its races and won once together — a win rate of around 1 in 9, or roughly 11%. That is not a spectacular number, but the partnership has endured, which usually says something about how the horse goes and what suits it.

Where Imperial Jade does look genuinely interesting is on normal ground. In the eight races it has run on standard conditions, it has won twice — a win rate of 25%, or 1 in every 4 races. Compare that to its overall record and it becomes clear that getting the ground right really matters for this horse. Its first career win came at Chepstow back in April 2023, and it has spent most of its life competing at Class 4 level — solid middle-tier racing rather than the big occasions — where it has won 2 from 12. That is not a world-beating record, but it tells you this is a horse operating at a consistent and honest level, doing its job week in, week out. Whether the break has sharpened it up remains to be seen.