Only 2% of Racehorses Ever Win. This Is What a Morning at Their Yard Looks Like

In this new episode of Saturday Gallops series: only 2% of horses bred to race will ever win a single race. A Saturday morning at Equestrian R Infinity (The Limes, Epsom), a dual-purpose racing and reschooling yard, will show what that statistic actually looks like in practice — on the gallops, in the stable yard, and on race days. This episode follows trainer Craig Benton, jockey Kieren Fox, and vet/jockey/showjumper Taryn Cole through a full morning at Epsom Downs, with flashbacks to race days with our amazing jockeys Georgia Dobie and of course, Kieren Fox. First lot on the gallops with Twitch and Maury, second lot with Dreamcrafter and Addictive, and a look at how the yard's retired Hong Kong racehorses — including Winnie — settle into life after racing. We also follow Goldie, a retired racehorse from Hong Kong, as this is the day he leaves for his forever home — and we catch up on race-day results for Maury and Dupont Circle at Brighton Racecourse, plus flashbacks to recent runs for Twitch, Bold Suitor, and Addictive. Along the way: how trainers actually choose a racehorse, why colic is a daily concern in thoroughbreds, how racehorses get branded in Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong, and what it really feels like for a trainer when a horse doesn't win. Plus the marathon stories that it turns out, are shared with our guests. Transformations, teamwork, race day excitement, the buzz of the gallops at Epsom Downs and the tranquility of The Limes. About this yard: Equestrian R Infinity (EqR) specialises in the retraining and rehoming of retired racehorses, including horses from the HKJC Restart Partnership, alongside training horses still in racing. Based at The Limes, Epsom, Surrey. #racehorse #exracehorse #hkjc #britishhorseracing #epsom 00:00 Goldie leaves for his forever home 00:40 Morning at the yard before visitors arrive 01:37 Winnie's morning carrots 01:55 First lot heads to the gallops 03:20 Flashback: Twitch at Kempton 04:56 Life on Epsom Downs 09:38 Twitch & Maury work the gallop 10:10 What losing actually feels like 10:34 Flashback: Maury at Wolverhampton 12:55 Only 2% of horses ever win a race 14:08 Bold Suitor's recent win 17:09 Post-gallop catch up with Kieren and Taryn 17:55 Why colic is every trainer's fear 21:50 Inside the yard's re-built turnout boxes 22:38 What it means to run a small yard 23:30 How we use turn-out for our racehorses 24:26 Reading a horse's history through branding 27:34 Kieren's plans as a jockey 29:00 Flashback: Addictive at Salisbury 31:29 What trainers actually look for in a horse 33:12 Two marathon runners, one car park 36:24 Flashback: Dreamcrafter's worst race 37:27 The gallop that will transform his training 39:04 Brighton race day catches up 39:12 Dupont Circle lost a shoe in this race 41:13 Maury races again at Brighton, weather is turning stormy 44:43 Back at the yard