Stephen Hanlon

The horse that has done most to put Hanlon on the map is Fortunate Star, who has won 2 of their 8 races together. That might not sound like much, but for a trainer still in his first year, having a reliable partnership with a horse that keeps delivering is exactly the kind of foundation you build on. It gives the yard momentum and gives punters a reason to pay attention.

Hanlon has also developed a productive working relationship with jockey Conor Whiteley, who has been in the saddle for 19 of the yard's runners and ridden 2 winners — a win rate of around 1 in every 9 rides together. In the early stages of a training career, finding a jockey who understands your horses and keeps turning up is genuinely valuable, and that combination looks like one to follow.

If there is one place to watch Hanlon, it is Newcastle. Three of his four winners this season have come at that track, from 31 runners. Nearly all his winners in a single season coming at one venue is a meaningful pattern — it suggests he knows how to prepare horses for that track specifically, whether that is the surface, the layout, or simply the level of competition. For a trainer still establishing himself, becoming the person who knows a particular course better than anyone is a smart way to carve out a reputation.

Four winners in a first season will not make headlines, but the structure underneath them — a go-to horse, a trusted jockey, and a track he clearly understands — suggests Hanlon is approaching this methodically. The trainers who last are rarely the ones who burst onto the scene; they are the ones who find something that works and build on it quietly. Keep an eye on Fortunate Star at Newcastle with Whiteley aboard. That combination has already worked twice, and there is every reason to think it will work again.