Stirrup Cup

Trained by Tim Easterby at his yard in Great Habton, North Yorkshire, Stirrup Cup sits in good company. Easterby's operation has fired out 138 winners this season alone, making it one of the most productive yards in the north. Both of Stirrup Cup's wins have come at Class 5 level — the bread-and-butter tier of British racing — where it has won 2 of 10 races, or roughly 1 in every 5 at that grade. That is a meaningful number, suggesting it is competitive when the races suit it.

The clearest pattern in Stirrup Cup's career is how much it thrives on wet or muddy ground. In those conditions it has won 2 of its 6 races — a 33% win rate, or 1 in every 3 runs. On a heavy-ground day, this horse becomes noticeably more dangerous. Its two wins tell the story neatly: the first came at Carlisle in September 2024, and the second at Hamilton Park in September 2025 — both late-season tracks where conditions tend to ease. The most recent of those wins came just seven months ago, so this is not ancient history.

David Allan has been in the saddle for 11 of those 20 races and is clearly the preferred partner, with both career wins coming under him. He wins on Stirrup Cup at a rate of roughly 1 in 5 rides together — modest on paper, but those two victories suggest the partnership works when the pieces fall into place.

The last six runs show a horse that is placing without winning: finishes of 2nd, 10th, 3rd, 8th, 2nd, and 3rd. There is a horse here that keeps knocking on the door, and given it raced just yesterday and is still active, patience may yet be rewarded. Catch it on a wet day at the right level, and Stirrup Cup has already shown it knows how to win.