Gavin Cromwell

The headline number from the last twelve months is 97 winners from 1,131 runners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 12 races. That is down from closer to 1 in every 8 last season, and it is worth watching whether that slight dip reflects a genuine shift or simply a busier, broader string of horses. What is harder to argue with is the quality: Cromwell has won 15 top-level races across his career, with victories at Cheltenham, Haydock Park, Huntingdon, Ayr, and Market Rasen. Three of those came in 2025 alone — including a Cheltenham winner in March, which is the sort of result that defines a trainer's reputation. Getting a horse to win at Cheltenham requires everything to go right on the biggest stage in jumping, and Cromwell has done it.

The numbers sharpen considerably when you look at where and how he operates best. On normal ground — when the track is neither waterlogged nor baked hard — his yard wins 32 from 247 races, a rate of 13%, or about 1 in every 8. That is a meaningful edge over his overall average, suggesting his horses are trained to perform under fair conditions rather than relying on extreme ground to find their best. Downpatrick is another happy hunting ground: 8 winners from just 37 runners at that track is the kind of record that makes you sit up. When a trainer wins more than 1 in 5 at a particular course, it usually means something — familiarity, smart horse placement, or both.

His most productive relationship with a jockey is with Keith Donoghue, who has ridden 297 times for the yard and won on 27 of them — again, roughly 1 in 11. That volume of shared rides over four years speaks to a real working partnership rather than a casual arrangement. Meanwhile, Fiver Friday stands out as a horse Cromwell has clicked with particularly well: two wins from just five races together is a return any trainer would take. Four years in, the foundations look very solid indeed.