Paul Midgley

The partnership that really tells the story of Midgley's ability to get the best out of a horse is the one he has built with Spring Is Sprung. Six wins from 23 races together is a remarkable return — that is winning more than 1 in every 4 times they line up, which in racing terms points to a trainer who genuinely understands what makes a horse tick and keeps finding the right opportunities for it. That kind of record does not happen by accident.

When it comes to jockeys, Midgley leans heavily on David Nolan, and the numbers bear out why. Nolan has ridden 108 times for the yard and come home in front on 10 of them — roughly 1 in every 11 rides. That might sound modest, but a consistent, trusted partnership with one jockey matters enormously in racing. It means the horse knows its pilot, the pilot knows the horses, and the trainer does not have to re-explain the game plan every time.

One detail that genuinely stands out is how Midgley's yard performs in wet or muddy conditions. Most trainers find the rain complicates things, but Midgley has won 3 from 17 races on wet ground — 18%, or close to 1 in every 5. That is notably better than his overall average, suggesting he either has horses that genuinely relish the wet stuff, or that he is particularly sharp at spotting when conditions suit his string.

His record at Nottingham is the other number worth circling: 8 winners from just 24 runners. That is a third of his runners winning at one track, which is extraordinary. Whether it is the course layout, the trip, or simply that Midgley targets Nottingham carefully and deliberately, he has clearly worked something out there that most trainers have not. Four years in, still building — this is a yard worth keeping an eye on.