The clearest sign of his quality is where he wins, not just how often. Burke has landed 78 Class 1 races in his career — the top tier of British racing, the events that matter most, at venues like Newmarket, Ascot and York. Two of those came in quick succession in November 2025, at Newmarket on the 1st and Doncaster on the 8th. Winning at that level once is special; doing it twice in eight days suggests a yard firing on all cylinders.
Look deeper into the numbers and a few things stand out. Burke's horses love wet, muddy ground — the kind of conditions many trainers dread. On the heaviest going, his yard has won 4 races from just 9 attempts, a staggering rate of nearly 1 in every 2. That suggests he either has a particular eye for placing horses in conditions that suit them, or his training produces horses who handle physical, demanding ground better than most. Possibly both. He is also particularly sharp at Carlisle, where he has sent out 6 winners from just 15 runners — a 40% win rate that any trainer would be quietly delighted with.
His most productive partnership is with jockey Clifford Lee, and the numbers make a compelling case for why the two keep teaming up. Together they have combined for 49 wins from 222 rides — winning 22 of every 100 races they contest together, or just over 1 in every 4 and a half. That is meaningfully better than Burke's already strong overall average, which tells you Lee understands how this trainer's horses are prepared and how to ride them.
Four years in, 543 winners, and 78 wins at the very highest level — Karl Burke is not building towards something. He is already there.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 63 | 13 | 20.6% |
| York | 60 | 7 | 11.7% |
| Newmarket | 50 | 12 | 24% |
| Doncaster | 45 | 8 | 17.8% |
| Southwell | 42 | 8 | 19.0% |
| Haydock Park | 40 | 5 | 12.5% |
| Ascot | 40 | 4 | 10% |
| Wolverhampton | 37 | 9 | 24.3% |
| Goodwood | 25 | 3 | 12% |
| Beverley | 24 | 6 | 25% |
| Thirsk | 22 | 6 | 27.3% |
| Musselburgh | 21 | 5 | 23.8% |
| Ayr | 21 | 3 | 14.3% |
| Hamilton Park | 20 | 6 | 30% |
| Chester | 20 | 3 | 15% |
| Lingfield Park | 18 | 1 | 5.6% |
| Ripon | 17 | 3 | 17.6% |
| Redcar | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
| Carlisle | 15 | 6 | 40% |
| Pontefract | 15 | 5 | 33.3% |
| Nottingham | 15 | 4 | 26.7% |
| Newbury | 14 | 3 | 21.4% |
| meydan | 14 | 1 | 7.1% |
| Sandown Park | 11 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Catterick Bridge | 10 | 3 | 30% |
| The Curragh | 10 | 1 | 10% |
| Leicester | 8 | 3 | 37.5% |
| Kempton Park | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Epsom Downs | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Wetherby | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| chelmsford | 6 | 1 | 16.7% |
| Great Yarmouth | 5 | 2 | 40% |
| Windsor | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Leopardstown | 3 | 2 | 66.7% |
| Naas | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Bath | 1 | 0 | 0% |