Vixey

The most striking thing about Vixey is what she does at Chester. That old, tight, oval circuit in the north-west of England suits some horses like a glove and does nothing for others, and Vixey falls firmly in the first camp — 2 wins from just 4 races there, a 50% win rate. To put that in perspective, her overall win rate is 17%. Chester turns her into a different animal. Her most recent win came there on 12 September 2025, and it is the kind of track record that any trainer would circle on the calendar when entries open. She also comes alive on normal ground, winning 3 of her 8 races in those conditions — again, well above her usual level.

Simon West trains her from his yard in Middleham, North Yorkshire, one of British racing's great training villages tucked into the Dales. West has sent out 5 winners already this season, so the horses are running well. Most of those Chester appearances have come with Aiden Brookes in the saddle, and that partnership tells its own story: Brookes has ridden Vixey 16 times and won on her 4 of them, a win rate of 25% — roughly 1 in every 4 rides together. That is the kind of combination a trainer keeps going back to for good reason.

She does most of her racing at Class 5 level, which sits in the lower half of the sport's rankings, and has won 4 of her 15 races at that level — just over 1 in every 4. That is a solid record at her preferred grade, and it suggests she is competitive rather than just making up the numbers. Vixey is not a headline horse, but she is the sort of consistent, place-hitting performer that quietly racks up results — and when Chester comes round on a normal surface, she becomes genuinely hard to ignore.