Imperial Sovereign
Imperial Sovereign has been racing for nearly three years without finding the winner's circle again. The five-year-old claimed his sole victory at Newcastle on 16 December 2023 — more than two and a half years ago — and has managed just seven placings in the 22 races since. That win rate of 1 in 23 tells the story: this is a horse that has struggled to recapture that early promise, and time is running out for a return to form.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
James And Susan Cookson
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
What makes Imperial Sovereign's record particularly frustrating is his placement in top-level company. Trainer Philip Kirby, who runs a successful yard at East Appleton in North Yorkshire and has sent out 36 winners this season, has been running the horse predominantly in Class 2 races — some of Britain's most competitive contests. In seven attempts at that level, Imperial Sovereign has failed to win once. His last six runs show the pattern clearly: a placed effort two races ago, but otherwise a string of distant finishes. He raced just yesterday, which suggests the yard still believes there is something to work with, though recent form offers little encouragement.
Clifford Lee has been his regular partner, and has actually fared better on him than the raw numbers suggest — winning 1 of 6 races together (17%), notably better than the horse's overall record. That slight rapport might offer a glimmer of hope, but for now Imperial Sovereign remains a horse that has not won in 32 months and is competing in the kind of races where that kind of drought is hard to forgive.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on standard ground: 1 wins from 7 starts (14%)
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 8 starts
⚠ Poor record on good_to_firm ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Struggles on RH Galloping tracks: 0 wins from 6 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Standard (all-weather)
Loves
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Avoids
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Avoids
📏 Race distance
Long Distance (2M+)
Avoids
🏅 Race level
Class 2 (high-level)
Avoids
Class 3 (mid-level)
Unknown
Class 4 (standard)
Avoids
Class 5 (entry-level)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, long straights
Loves
Left-handed, tight turns
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Avoids
Left-handed, tight
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
6 Aug
5th
Newmarket
Long Distance (2m+) · Good_To_Firm · 5 runners
11 Jul
2nd
Chester
1m6f – 2m · Good · 8 runners
27 Jun
4th
York
1m6f – 2m · Good · 9 runners
30 May
6th
Chester
1m6f – 2m · Good · 11 runners
8 May
7th
Chester
Long Distance (2m+) · Good · 17 runners
26 Apr
3rd
Nottingham
1m6f – 2m · Good · 6 runners
9 Apr
4th
Southwell
Long Distance (2m+) · Standard · 6 runners
29 Nov
3rd
Wolverhampton
1m6f – 2m · Standard · 6 runners
20 Nov
2nd
Southwell
Long Distance (2m+) · Standard · 10 runners
7 Nov
4th
Newcastle
1m6f – 2m · Standard · 10 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Newcastle Galloping |
3 |
1 win, 2 other |
7 Nov |
33.3% |
| Southwell Galloping |
3 |
1 second, 1 third, 1 other |
9 Apr |
0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
3 |
3 other |
17 Oct |
0% |
| Chester Tight |
3 |
1 second, 2 other |
11 Jul |
0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
3 |
3 other |
6 Aug |
0% |
| York Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
27 Jun |
0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
7 Sep |
0% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
29 Nov |
0% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
26 Apr |
0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
1 |
1 second |
13 Mar |
0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
11 May |
0% |