Simon West

The partnership with jockey Aiden Brookes looks like one of the smartest relationships West has built. Together they have won 4 of 21 races — roughly 1 in every 5 — which is a genuinely strong return and well above West's yard average. When a trainer finds a jockey who clearly understands how his horses need to be ridden, it tends to accelerate everything, and that figure suggests Brookes and West are already well past the getting-to-know-you stage.

Ground conditions matter enormously in racing, and West has figured something out on normal ground. Three wins from 15 races on a standard surface works out at exactly 1 in 5 — a 20% win rate that puts him in genuinely competitive territory. For a yard still only four years old, finding that kind of consistency in any condition is a significant marker of progress.

The one relationship that hasn't quite clicked yet is with Hijo De La Luna. One win from ten races together is a return of 1 in 10 — below the yard's overall average — which suggests either the horse needs very specific conditions to shine, or the right race simply hasn't come along yet. Ten attempts is enough to notice the pattern, even if it's too soon to draw firm conclusions.

West is still early in his career as a trainer, and the honest truth is that five winners from 54 runners won't turn heads at the top of the sport. But the direction of travel matters as much as the current numbers, and right now everything is pointing the right way — a stronger jockey partnership, better results on normal ground, and a win rate that has genuinely improved year on year. The foundations look solid.