Rebecca Menzies

The headline moments are hard to argue with. In the space of just two months in early 2022 — her first full year — Menzies won two top-level races, at Doncaster in March and Ayr in April. These are the biggest races in British racing, the ones that genuinely matter, and landing two of them so early in a training career is the kind of thing that makes the rest of the sport sit up and take notice. It suggested straight away that this wasn't a trainer who would be content just making up the numbers.

There are patterns in her record that are worth understanding. At Sedgefield, a track in County Durham, her horses have won 7 times from just 29 runners — nearly 1 in 4 — which is a remarkable conversion rate for any trainer at any track. When the ground turns wet and heavy underfoot, she also finds an edge: 1 winner from 7 runners on genuinely muddy ground might sound modest, but that 14% win rate is well above her overall average and suggests she knows exactly which horses to run when conditions turn against everyone else.

Her most productive partnership with a jockey is with Nathan Moscrop, who has ridden for her 111 times and won on 10 of those — roughly 1 in every 11 rides together. That kind of long-running combination, built over dozens of races, usually means a trainer and jockey who understand each other's instincts well. Then there is Ballin Bay, a horse she has won 3 races from just 7 outings with — a partnership that has clicked in a way that jumps off the page.

The dip in win rate this season is worth watching, but context matters. More runners can mean a lower percentage even with more winners. Menzies is four years in, already has two top-level wins, and shows no sign of slowing down.