Heather Main

The most interesting number right now is what has happened in the last two weeks: 1 winner from just 5 runners, a 20% win rate — double her season average. Small sample, yes, but when a trainer's recent form is running twice as hot as their usual level, it tends to mean the horses in the yard are happy and ready. Worth paying attention.

Her standout relationship is with a horse called Ash Wednesday, who she has partnered to 6 wins from 24 races together. That is a 25% win rate — one in four — which in this sport represents a genuine, reliable combination. Finding a horse that suits your training methods is half the battle, and Main clearly has Ash Wednesday dialled in.

Two other edges are worth knowing about. First, she performs noticeably well when the ground is wet or muddy: 3 wins from 13 races in those conditions, a 23% win rate, meaning nearly 1 in every 4 runners on soft ground wins. That is a real pattern, not a coincidence — it suggests she either selects her races smartly in those conditions or trains horses that genuinely thrive in the mud. Second, Wolverhampton keeps delivering for her: 4 winners from 24 runners at that track, which tells you she understands how to place a horse there. Tracks have their own quirks, and trainers who figure them out tend to keep going back with the right horses at the right time.

With jockey Jack Mitchell, the numbers are more modest — 1 win from 16 rides together — but the partnership is still developing, and the sheer volume of runners suggests this is a working relationship Main is committed to building. Four years in, 83 winners, and a yard clearly on an upward curve: the next few seasons should be very interesting indeed.