Katalyst gets off the mark in excellent fashion at Kempton
11 Sep 2026
Katalyst managed to get off the mark at the 14th attempt at Kempton on Wednesday, staying on strongly to take the victory by half a length.
A tactical change was employed this time out, with Lewis Edmunds instructed to hold Katalyst up in the early stages of the race to give her a little bit of cover and to conserve her energy. The change was visible from the outset, as our three-year-old burst out of the gates but was immediately brought back to allow two of her rivals go forward, with our filly just sitting in behind.
WATCH: Lewis Edmunds explains the change in tactics onboard Katalyst and how it helped her race
Katalyst took up second place going round the final bend and was poised to take the lead from Brave New World. She did just that as they approached the two furlong pole and then stayed on stoutly to hold off a whole host of rivals looking to usurp her as they entered the final furlong. Katalyst continued to battle with Goldfinder right up until they were in the shadow of the post, and eventually took the victory by half a length, with the rest of the field a further two furlongs back.
WATCH: Chris Grassick discusses Katalyst's effort to get off the mark at Kempton
We caught up with Chris the morning after the race to find out how Katalyst had come out of the contest and what the next steps will be with her following her first victory:
"We're delighted with how Katalyst performed last night and incredibly happy that she managed to put it all together and land her first win, with a bit of luck a couple more might follow.
She's come out of the race brilliantly this morning, trotted up well and hasn't lost too much weight. Considering how long the night was at Kempton, we're really happy with how she's doing at home right now.
I hope the Owners had a great time at Kempton, it was lovely to meet them and I'm glad we managed to get a win for them."
It likely won't be too long before we see Katalyst back out on course, as she's running well currently and could find a couple more wins now she's managed to hit the front for the first time.
A tactical change was employed this time out, with Lewis Edmunds instructed to hold Katalyst up in the early stages of the race to give her a little bit of cover and to conserve her energy. The change was visible from the outset, as our three-year-old burst out of the gates but was immediately brought back to allow two of her rivals go forward, with our filly just sitting in behind.
WATCH: Lewis Edmunds explains the change in tactics onboard Katalyst and how it helped her race
Katalyst took up second place going round the final bend and was poised to take the lead from Brave New World. She did just that as they approached the two furlong pole and then stayed on stoutly to hold off a whole host of rivals looking to usurp her as they entered the final furlong. Katalyst continued to battle with Goldfinder right up until they were in the shadow of the post, and eventually took the victory by half a length, with the rest of the field a further two furlongs back.
WATCH: Chris Grassick discusses Katalyst's effort to get off the mark at Kempton
We caught up with Chris the morning after the race to find out how Katalyst had come out of the contest and what the next steps will be with her following her first victory:
"We're delighted with how Katalyst performed last night and incredibly happy that she managed to put it all together and land her first win, with a bit of luck a couple more might follow.
She's come out of the race brilliantly this morning, trotted up well and hasn't lost too much weight. Considering how long the night was at Kempton, we're really happy with how she's doing at home right now.
I hope the Owners had a great time at Kempton, it was lovely to meet them and I'm glad we managed to get a win for them."
It likely won't be too long before we see Katalyst back out on course, as she's running well currently and could find a couple more wins now she's managed to hit the front for the first time.
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