Zebra Star
Zebra Star's career has been a long grind through the middle levels of racing—three wins and ten places from 46 races is a respectable but modest record, roughly winning one race for every fifteen attempts. The six-year-old mare has been racing for nearly three years and only recently showed signs of the improvement her trainer has been working toward. Her breakthrough moment came last July when she won at Ayr, her first victory in over a year, and trainer
R Mike Smith attributed the turnaround to something straightforward but significant: a sinus operation performed at the end of the previous year. For racehorses, even small respiratory issues can drag on performance in ways that look like lack of ability rather than treatable problems. Smith had seen it before with one of his jumpers, who also improved visibly after the same procedure. The operation seemed to have genuinely changed what Zebra Star could do.
Based on TrackLab's AI analysis
📊 Key Numbers
Career statistics for this horse
21.7%
Place rate (top 3)
avg ~30%
🔍 Full Analysis
TrackLab's AI-generated assessment based on career data and recent form
The mare has a clear preference for slightly soft or muddy ground—she has won twice from only four races on it, a 50% win rate that stands out sharply against her overall 7% win rate. She also performs noticeably better over distances between seven furlongs and a mile, winning twice from fourteen races at that trip (14%), suggesting she has found her best range. Most of her racing has come at Class 6, the lower tiers of competition, where she has won twice from 27 races. Jockey Amie Waugh has ridden her five times without a win, while trainer Smith has sent out 25 winners from his Galston yard this season. Zebra Star raced just a day ago and continues to be campaigned actively. Her last six runs have been unsuccessful—a run of nines, another nine, a fourth place and a fifth—but the brief flash of victory last summer suggests there is still something left to work with, especially when conditions fall in her favour.
⚡ Strengths & Risks
What the data says works for and against this horse
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on good_to_soft ground: 2 wins from 4 starts (50%)
✔ Well suited by 7f – 1m distances: 14% win rate
⚠ What to watch out for
⚠ Poor record on standard ground: 0 wins from 8 starts
⚠ Poor record on good_to_firm ground: 0 wins from 6 starts
⚠ Poor record on soft ground: 0 wins from 6 starts
⚠ Poor record on heavy ground: 0 wins from 4 starts
⚠ Struggles on RH Sharp tracks: 0 wins from 8 starts
🎯 Where This Horse Thrives
Performance broken down by ground, distance, class, and track type
🌧 Ground Conditions
Good to soft (some give)
Loves
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Unknown
Standard (all-weather)
Avoids
Good to firm (drying out)
Avoids
🏅 Competition Level
Class 2 (high-level)
Unknown
Class 5 (entry-level)
Likes
Class 6 (grassroots)
Likes
🏟 Track Shape
Left-handed, long straights
Likes
Right-handed, long straights
Unknown
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Avoids
Left-handed, tight turns
Avoids
📅 Recent Runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
27 Aug
9th
Carlisle
1m3f – 1m4f · Good · 9 runners
8 Aug
9th
Ayr
1m3f – 1m4f · Good · 13 runners
5 Jul
9th
Ayr
1m3f – 1m4f · Good · 10 runners
19 Jun
4th
Ayr
1m3f – 1m4f · Soft · 10 runners
6 Jun
5th
Musselburgh
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 12 runners
5 May
9th
Ayr
1m1f – 1m2f · Good_To_Firm · 12 runners
9 Oct
10th
Ayr
1m1f – 1m2f · Heavy · 12 runners
1 Oct
5th
Musselburgh
1m6f – 2m · Soft · 7 runners
13 Sep
10th
Musselburgh
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 11 runners
26 Aug
3rd
Musselburgh
1m1f – 1m2f · Good · 10 runners
🏇 Jockey Partnerships
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, sorted by rides together
🏟 Track Record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last visited | Win rate |
|---|
| Ayr Galloping |
22 |
2 wins, 1 second, 1 third, 18 other |
8 Aug |
9.1% |
| Musselburgh Sharp |
4 |
1 third, 3 other |
6 Jun |
0% |
| Hamilton Park Sharp |
4 |
1 third, 3 other |
12 Jul |
0% |
| Lingfield Park Sharp |
4 |
1 third, 3 other |
1 Jul |
0% |
| Great Yarmouth Galloping |
3 |
1 win, 1 second, 1 other |
25 Apr |
33.3% |
| Newcastle Galloping |
3 |
3 other |
21 Jan |
0% |
| Nottingham Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
12 Apr |
0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
14 Oct |
0% |
| Southwell Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
11 May |
0% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
1 |
1 other |
27 Aug |
0% |
| Newmarket Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
24 Sep |
0% |
| Kempton Park Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
12 Jul |
0% |