Roman Dragon

Those Chester wins are not small-beer either. In May 2025 he landed a Class 2 race, one of the better races run in Britain. Then, just three months later in August, he stepped up to win a Class 1 — the very top tier of British racing. Palmer was candid afterwards: Roman Dragon is fundamentally a sprint horse who pulled off something special that day, and he may not be able to go to a higher level than this. But that honesty only makes the achievement more impressive. He found his ceiling, and his ceiling turned out to be the highest room in the building at Chester.

Palmer, who trains out of Malpas in Cheshire — conveniently close to Chester itself — has sent out 66 winners this season, so this is a busy and successful yard. Roman Dragon's most regular partner in the saddle is Hayley Turner, who has ridden him to 2 wins from 6 races together, winning roughly 1 in every 3 — a strong record that reflects a genuine partnership. The trainer spent two winters sending the horse to Bahrain to keep him fresh, and when Palmer spoke in April 2025 he made clear the plan was simple: get him back to Chester in May and let him do what he does.

Across 34 races in total, Roman Dragon has won 5 and placed 11 times — a win rate of around 15%, or roughly 1 in every 7 races. At most tracks, that is a solid but unremarkable career. At Chester, it is a domination. He is currently active, raced just yesterday, and his last win at the track came as recently as August. At seven, he is not a young horse, but he clearly still has the appetite. For as long as Chester stages races, Roman Dragon will be the name the regulars look for first on the card.