Santorini Star

What makes the record even more striking is where those wins have come. Santorini Star didn't just rack up victories in ordinary, low-key races — it stepped up and delivered when the stakes were highest. A win at York in August 2025, followed by a Class 1 victory at Doncaster in September 2025, represents the very top end of British racing. A Class 1 race at Doncaster is as prestigious as it gets, and winning one as a 4-year-old places this horse in elite company. Four wins from its last six outings, with the only slips being a pair of fourth-place finishes sandwiched between victories, tells the story of a horse in the form of its life before being given a break.

The team behind Santorini Star is worth noting too. William Haggas, training out of Newmarket in Suffolk, is one of the most respected names in British racing — his yard has sent out 176 winners in the current season alone, which is a staggering volume of success. Within that operation, Tom Marquand has been the regular jockey aboard, winning 3 of their 6 races together. That's a 50% win rate between horse and rider — a genuine partnership that has clearly clicked.

Now the interesting question: Santorini Star hasn't raced in roughly six months, since that Doncaster win in September 2025. A long break after a big win is common — horses need rest, particularly after a peak performance — but returning from six months off always carries uncertainty. The fitness will need to be there. That said, when a horse with this profile comes back, it tends to command attention. With a record of 6 wins and 7 places from only 10 races, there's very little wasted effort in this career. Almost every run has produced something. If Haggas has this horse fit and ready, Santorini Star is exactly the kind of runner that makes watching racing worthwhile.