Andrew J Martin

The most compelling story in Martin's stable is his long-running partnership with Lion Ring. Seven wins from 47 races together is not a headline-grabbing number, but it tells you something important: this is a trainer who knows his horse inside out, who keeps coming back to the well and finding a way to win. In a sport where patience and placement matter enormously, getting the best out of one horse across that many races is a genuine skill.

Huntingdon is where Martin's eye for detail really shows. Three winners from just 6 runners at that track is a remarkable record — that's a win rate of 50%, or 1 in every 2. Most trainers would be delighted with half that. It suggests he is not just turning up at Huntingdon and hoping for the best, but targeting it deliberately, with the right horses at the right time.

When the ground turns soft and slightly wet underfoot, Martin's runners are worth a second look. Two wins from 11 races in those conditions — roughly 1 in 5 — is meaningfully better than his overall seasonal average, hinting that he may have a stable full of horses who travel best when there is a bit of give beneath them.

His most productive jockey pairing at present is with Ryan Kavanagh, who has converted 2 of his 12 rides for the yard into wins — a win rate of around 1 in 6. That is a fraction better than the stable's overall figures, suggesting the combination is one to watch when the two team up. Martin is still a young trainer by the sport's standards, with only four years in the job and 23 career winners behind him, but the foundations look solid: a horse he knows how to win with, a track he owns, and ground conditions that bring out the best in his team.