Nigel Hawke

The progress is written into the numbers. A year ago, Hawke's yard was winning roughly 1 in every 17 races — a rate of around 6%. This season that has jumped to 11%, or about 1 in every 9 races from 108 runners. That kind of improvement in a single season is not a fluke; it points to a trainer who is getting sharper at placing horses in the right spots and drawing more out of the animals in his care.

There are patterns in his record that reward closer attention. At Exeter, which sits just a short drive from the kind of Somerset and Devon country where many West Country yards are based, Hawke has won 4 races from just 13 runners — a win rate of 31%, or almost 1 in 3. That is a remarkable return at any track, and it suggests a trainer who understands the course, knows the right horses to target it with, and times his runs well. He also thrives when the ground turns wet and muddy, winning 2 from 8 races in those conditions — a rate of 25%, or 1 in 4. Some trainers dread a wet winter; for Hawke, it may actually suit his string.

His standout partnership this season has been with a horse called Modern Style, with whom he has won 2 from 5 races together — a productive combination by any measure. His most regular jockey is James Davies, who has ridden 40 times for the yard and converted 3 of those into winners. The win rate of around 1 in 13 from that partnership is modest, but 40 rides in a relatively short training career tells its own story — this is a trusted, working relationship, not an occasional collaboration.

Hawke is still early in his journey, but the trajectory is pointing firmly upward. A Cheltenham winner at just four years in, a sharply improving win rate, and a clear set of conditions and venues where his horses run their best — the foundations look solid.