John C McConnell

What really sets McConnell apart, though, is his record at the very top level. Seven Class 1 wins — the elite tier of British racing — in just four years is genuinely impressive. He has won at Cheltenham twice, including at the most recent Festival in January 2025, and claimed a top-level prize at Aintree in April 2023. Add victories at Doncaster and Perth to the list and you have a trainer who travels well and competes confidently on the biggest stages. Most trainers spend careers chasing a single Cheltenham winner. McConnell has two already.

His partnership with jockey Alex Harvey is one worth following. Across 139 rides together they have combined for 15 wins — converting at around 1 in every 9, nearly double the yard's overall rate. That kind of chemistry between trainer and jockey usually means they know each other's horses well and are placing them in the right races at the right moments.

McConnell's horses also show a clear preference for normal conditions underfoot, winning 20 races from 222 on a standard surface — roughly 1 in every 11. That 9% win rate on good ground comfortably outstrips his seasonal average, a useful detail if you are watching one of his runners and wondering whether the conditions suit.

Perhaps most encouragingly, the yard is in sharp form right now. Two winners from 19 runners over the last fortnight gives an 11% return — nearly twice the season-long average of 6%. When a trainer's short-term numbers start climbing above their baseline like this, it often means horses are coming to hand and the team is timing its runs well. After four years building quietly and steadily, McConnell looks very much like a trainer on the rise.