Zarakova
Zarakova has the look of a horse still finding her way. A two-year-old with just one win from five races, she broke her duck at Newmarket on 7 August with a performance that suggested she might be beginning to understand what racing is all about. Since that breakthrough, though, form has been patchy: a sixth place, a fifth, and a second sandwiched either side of another win would be welcome, but instead her recent record reads sixth, fifth, first, second, sixth. That solitary victory now sits seven weeks in the past, and with races at distances between a mile and a furlong and a mile and two furlongs clearly suiting her best—she has won one of three attempts at that trip, a 33 percent win rate—the challenge for
Andrew Balding's Kingsclere yard will be finding the right opportunities to get her back to winning.
Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
Hussain Alabbas Lootah
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
The trainer's yard has been prolific this season with 202 winners already, so Zarakova is working within a formidable operation. But she remains very much a work in progress, and her win rate of roughly one victory per five races suggests she is still operating at the lower end of what top yards typically achieve. She raced just yesterday, which means she is an active part of Balding's plans going forward. Whether she can string together the consistency needed to become a regular winner depends on whether that Newmarket success was a sign of genuine progress or simply a flash in the pan—the next few months will tell.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Well suited by 1m1f – 1m2f distances: 33% win rate
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Unknown
Good (a little give)
Unknown
Standard (all-weather)
Unknown
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, long straights
Unknown
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown
Left-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Unknown
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
26 Sep
6th
Ripon
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 6 runners
10 Sep
5th
Doncaster
1m1f – 1m2f · Good_To_Soft · 6 runners
7 Aug
🏆 Won
Newmarket
1m1f – 1m2f · Good_To_Firm · 4 runners
16 Jul
2nd
Epsom Downs
7f – 1m · Good_To_Firm · 5 runners
29 May
6th
Wolverhampton
7f – 1m · Standard · 6 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 |
|---|
| Newmarket Galloping |
1 |
1 win |
7 Aug |
100% |
| Epsom Downs Undulating |
1 |
1 second |
16 Jul |
0% |
| Wolverhampton Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
29 May |
0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
10 Sep |
0% |
| Ripon Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
26 Sep |
0% |