Her recent form tells a familiar story. Looking at her last six races, she has posted a pair of third-place finishes and three fifth-place results, with one run where she didn't complete the course. That pattern — competitive enough to place, but not to win — is the defining feature of her career so far. She has gone 0 from 5 at Class 4 level, which sits in the middle tier of British racing. It is not the highest company, but it is not a soft touch either, and the fact that she cannot win there suggests she may be finding her ceiling.
She is trained by Justin Landy at Leyburn in North Yorkshire, a yard that has sent out three winners this season. That is a modest total, so Lipstick Traces is not emerging from one of the powerhouse operations with horses queuing up to win big races. At a smaller yard, every winner genuinely matters, and getting this mare — who has never won — over the line would be a real moment for the team.
The honest read on Lipstick Traces is that she is a horse who earns her keep by finishing close without ever finishing first. Some horses are like that: reliable enough to keep the yard interested, frustrating enough to keep punters guessing. Whether there is a race out there that suits her well enough to finally change that record remains to be seen, but with 11 races behind her and none of them a win, the burden of proof is firmly on her now.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hexham Undulating |
3 | 1 second, 2 thirds | 2 May | 0% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
2 | 1 third, 1 other | 31 Mar | 0% |
| Sedgefield Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 4 Sep | 0% |
| Cartmel Tight |
1 | 1 other | 23 May | 0% |
| Worcester Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 20 Aug | 0% |
| Kelso Undulating |
1 | 1 second | 25 May | 0% |
| Market Rasen Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 5 Jul | 0% |
| Uttoxeter Sharp |
1 | 1 other | 15 Jul | 0% |