Trainers in focus – 5 yards to put into your tracker for 2021

With racing in 2021 well under way, Adrian Wall has picked out five yards that are worth following this coming year…

James Tate

He is one of the most under-rated Flat trainers in the game. That was evident looking at his results in 2019 when the Newmarket trainer notched up 72 winners and picked up £926,098 of prize money in Britain. Based in Newmarket, he didn’t have a good 2020 by his high standards, notching just 27 winners in the whole year. However, he has started off 2021 in sublime fashion, sending out 3 winners already from just 8 runners. Keep an eye out for some of his stable stars such as Top Rank, Under The Stars and Victory Heights this term.

Jennie Candlish

Based in Cheddleton in Staffordshire, Jennie is already having a season to remember and without doubt her best season for a long time. She has saddled 17 winners from 111 runners to date in the 2020-21 wraparound season, which is a 15-per-cent strike rate. That has produced a profit to date of +£32.15 to £1 level stakes and she isn’t finished winning yet. The yard have a lot of well handicapped runners and stable jockey Sean Quinlan is riding out his skin. Jennie goes under the radar so you will generally get decent odds about her runners.

Gary Moore

Stable star Goshen may have been bitterly disappointing for the stable this season to date but this stable is worth following. Gary’s Champion Hurdle dreams may be dashed but he is still operating at an incredible 17-per-cent strike rate so far this season. Keep a very close eye on him when he has a runner at Fontwell, which is statistically his favourite track. He has trained 79 winners there from 402 runners which is a 20-per-cent return. Plumpton and Sandown are also tracks that yield great success for the stable.

Jonjo O’Neill

He is a hard man to catch right but Jonjo has had a very good season, operating at a 16-per-cent strike rate. A lot of his runners will be seen running in the famous silks of JP McManus. There is no doubt that he will be lining a couple of his runners up for a handicap plot at the Cheltenham Festival. His son, Jonjo Junior, is a terrific young rider and is going to the very top if he continues on his current trajectory. He has a couple of nice horses that are good handicappers, but may be Graded horses in disguise. They are Sky Pirate and Soaring Glory – keep one eye on them.

Gavin Cromwell

He is a multiple Grade 1 winning trainer but he still so often goes under the radar. Make no mistake about it, Gavin is a world class trainer. He won the Champion Hurdle with Espoir D’Allen and also has an extremely exciting prospect on his hands this term. Flooring Porter bolted up in the Christmas Hurdle and could take all the beating at the Festival in March. People talk about Willie Mullins and Gordon Elliott non-stop but there is more to Irish racing than the aforementioned pair. If Gavin had their ammunition, he would do just as good a job. Keep a close eye on his runners in 2021.