Sapphire Steps
Sapphire Steps is a 3-year-old with one win to its name, secured at Newbury back in July 2025, but the horse has found the path to the winner's circle stubbornly difficult since. The recent form tells the story: across the last six outings, finishes of sixth, eleventh, fourth, eighth, fifth, and seventh show a horse that can occasionally threaten a placed finish but has not crossed the line first since that summer success 14 months ago.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
J Palmer Brown C Engel And Partner
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
Richard Hannon's yard at Herridge, Wilts, has been prolific this season with 118 winners, so Sapphire Steps is operating within a genuinely competitive training environment. The horse appears to suit shorter distances, winning 1 of its 5 races between 5 furlongs and 6½ furlongs — a 20 per cent win rate at those trips that suggests it may perform best when speed is at a premium rather than stamina. Sean Levey, the horse's most frequent rider, has partnered it for 5 races, winning 1, which mirrors the overall picture: occasional success but no clear breakthrough. With the horse active and racing regularly, it remains a work in progress — a 3-year-old that shows glimpses of ability but has yet to put together the form that would suggest a sustained challenge at this level.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on good_to_firm ground: 1 wins from 5 starts (20%)
✔ Well suited by 5f – 6½f distances: 20% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on good ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Struggles on RH Galloping tracks: 0 wins from 5 starts
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Loves
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Avoids
🏅 Race level
Class 2 (high-level)
Unknown
Class 4 (standard)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, long straights
Loves
Right-handed, long straights
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
7 Oct
9th
Nottingham
1m3f – 1m4f · Good_To_Soft · 12 runners
4 Sep
6th
Ascot
7f – 1m · Good · 9 runners
10 Jul
11th
Ascot
5f – 6½f · Good_To_Firm · 13 runners
20 Jun
4th
Newmarket
5f – 6½f · Good_To_Firm · 9 runners
16 May
8th
Newbury
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 12 runners
17 Apr
5th
Newbury
7f – 1m · Good · 15 runners
23 Aug
7th
Newmarket
5f – 6½f · Good_To_Firm · 20 runners
15 Aug
7th
Newbury
5f – 6½f · Good · 14 runners
9 Aug
5th
Newmarket
7f – 1m · Good_To_Firm · 6 runners
18 Jul
🏆 Won
Newbury
5f – 6½f · Good_To_Firm · 11 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 |
|---|
| Newbury Galloping |
4 |
1 win, 3 other |
16 May |
25% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
3 |
3 other |
20 Jun |
0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
4 Sep |
0% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
7 Oct |
0% |