The most interesting thread running through his record is his partnership with Lady Babs. Five wins from 21 races together is a genuinely strong return — that's nearly 1 in every 4 races, well above the yard's overall average — and it suggests a horse that Crook knows inside out and has found the right opportunities for. That kind of consistent success with one horse is often how smaller trainers build their reputation, and Lady Babs has clearly been the yard's standard-bearer.
Less easy to explain is the record alongside jockey Joe Williamson, who has had 17 rides for the yard without a single win. Seventeen is enough rides to be more than just bad luck — it's a combination that hasn't clicked, whatever the reasons. Whether that changes going forward remains to be seen, but it stands out as a partnership that has yet to deliver for either party.
On the ground conditions front, Crook's best figures come on normal ground, where he's won 1 from 11 races — around 9%, or roughly 1 in every 11. That's not a large sample, but it hints that his horses show up best when conditions aren't extreme.
Four years in, Crook is still very much a trainer on the way up, learning what his horses need and where they can win. The form with Lady Babs shows he can get results when the pieces fit together. The challenge now is doing it more consistently across the whole string.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle | 7 | 1 | 14.3% |
| Market Rasen | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Newcastle | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Wetherby | 5 | 0 | 0% |
| Hexham | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Southwell | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Catterick Bridge | 3 | 0 | 0% |
| Sedgefield | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Cartmel | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Perth | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Haydock Park | 1 | 0 | 0% |