The win came at Kempton Park on 20 May 2026, and what makes it feel like more than just a box ticked is what Eve Johnson Houghton said about this horse before it had even won a race. After Spirit Of Saxony finished third on debut at Salisbury — behind a horse called Italica — she was already calling him her personal pick from the yard, the one she thought looked a genuinely nice prospect. Trainers say that kind of thing carefully. When the horse then goes and wins next time you pay attention to it.
Johnson Houghton trains out of Blewbury in Oxfordshire, and her yard has been in fine form this season — 42 winners sent out already, which is the output of an operation running at full tilt and knowing exactly what it's doing. Having a horse that fits neatly into that picture, one the trainer herself has singled out, puts Spirit Of Saxony in an interesting position heading into the summer. The recent form figures — 1, 5, 5, 2, 3 reading back from the most recent race — show a horse that started cautiously, placed on debut, dipped in the middle, and has now come good at the right moment. That kind of trajectory, peaking just as the season warms up, is exactly what you want to see.
Spirit Of Saxony raced just yesterday, so the legs are still warm. Where it goes next is the question worth watching — but if the trainer's instincts are right, and the form so far suggests they might be, this is a horse that could be grabbing a few more headlines before the season is out.
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kempton Park Galloping |
2 | 1 win, 1 second | 20 May | 50% |
| Salisbury Undulating |
1 | 1 third | 15 Jun | 0% |
| Newbury Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 18 Apr | 0% |
| Ascot Galloping |
1 | 1 other | 8 May | 0% |