Steph Hollinshead

The headline stat this season is honest rather than flashy: 7 winners from 128 runners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 18 races. That is a 5% win rate, and it represents a dip from the 11% she posted last year. A drop like that is worth watching rather than worrying about — yards go through cycles, and the quality or quantity of horses coming through the door changes season to season. What's more encouraging is that the last two weeks show a nudge back in the right direction: 1 winner from 12 runners at around 8%, which is above her seasonal average.

The most compelling thread in Hollinshead's record is her relationship with Albeseeingyer. Six wins from 25 races together is a genuinely striking number — that's almost 1 in every 4 races, which stands well above the yard's overall rate and suggests a horse that has been trained with real understanding. When a trainer and a single horse click like that, it usually means something has been figured out about that animal — its quirks, its preferences, what brings the best out of it. Six wins from 25 is the kind of record that speaks to patience and attention.

There are two other patterns worth noting. Hollinshead's record on fast, dry ground reads 3 wins from 35 races at around 9% — nearly double her season average — which suggests her horses are prepared with that surface in mind, or simply thrive when the ground is quick underfoot. And at Newmarket, one of the most competitive and prestigious venues in British racing, she has sent out 3 winners from just 15 runners. That is a 20% win rate at a track where many trainers struggle to make a dent. For a yard still in its early years, that is a number a more established operation would be pleased with.

Her most used jockey is Dougie Costello, who has partnered her horses 63 times for 3 wins. That combination is still finding its best form together, but the sheer volume of rides suggests a trusted working relationship that could yet yield more as the yard grows.