Royal Velvet

The quality of those wins matters too. In the summer of 2025, Royal Velvet won back-to-back Class 2 races — which means top-level British racing — at two of the sport's most prestigious venues. York in August and Newmarket in July are not places where ordinary horses win. They attract the best, and Royal Velvet beat them. Then, just this week, it won again at Newmarket. Three wins in six races at that level of competition is the kind of form that makes people pay attention.

William Knight trains the horse from his yard in Newmarket, Suffolk, and his team have had a productive season — 27 winners so far this year is a serious haul, suggesting a stable operating with real confidence. Callum Shepherd has been the regular jockey for Royal Velvet, and the pair have clicked: two wins from five races together, a 40% success rate that mirrors the horse's own career average almost exactly.

There are two small details that sharpen the picture further. Royal Velvet has a particular affinity for Great Yarmouth, winning 2 of its 4 races there — a track record that hints at a horse that handles certain courses better than others. And on normal ground conditions, it is almost unbeatable: two wins from just three races at 67%. Soft, muddy ground is a question mark, but give it a dry, fair surface and it thrives.

Royal Velvet started its career winning at Wolverhampton on a December evening in 2023 — a modest enough beginning. Less than three years later it is winning top-level races at Newmarket. That is a genuine upward curve, and with three wins already in 2026 and a race as recently as yesterday, there is clearly no sign of slowing down.