The most telling detail in the record is the partnership with jockey Eoghan Finegan. When Finegan is in the saddle, Collins's horses have won 4 of their 11 races together — that is closer to one in every three, a ratio that suggests the two have developed a genuine understanding of how the horses from this yard need to be ridden. In racing, a trainer and jockey who click early can make a small operation look much bigger than it is, and that seems to be exactly what is happening here.
Collins also shows a knack for wet ground, winning 1 from 3 races when conditions are soft underfoot. One from three is a small sample, but a 33% success rate in those conditions hints that the horses are being prepared and placed with some thought — sent out when the ground suits them rather than just to fill a racecard. That kind of patience is a hallmark of a trainer who knows what they are doing.
Three years in, four winners from twenty runners this season, and a jockey partnership that is already clicking at a remarkable rate — the foundations here look solid. Collins is still a small operation, but small operations with numbers like these tend not to stay small for long.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cork | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Listowel | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Leopardstown | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Punchestown | 2 | 1 | 50% |
| Fairyhouse | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Navan | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Clonmel | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Bellewstown | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Downpatrick | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| Down Royal | 1 | 0 | 0% |