Sue Gardner

The most compelling story in Gardner's operation is her partnership with Lightonthewing. Eight wins from 35 races together is a genuinely impressive record — that's nearly 1 in every 4 races, a ratio that puts it well clear of anything else in her yard. For a small trainer, having one horse you can rely on to keep delivering is invaluable, and Lightonthewing has clearly become the stable star that other horses in the yard will be measured against.

Newton Abbot has been a happy hunting ground too. Three winners from 24 runners there might sound modest, but when you're operating at 7% overall, finding a track where your runners perform consistently above that level is meaningful. Trainers learn which tracks suit their horses, and Gardner appears to have cracked the code at Newton Abbot.

The one figure that stands out awkwardly is the partnership with jockey Lucy Gardner — 35 rides together without a single winner is a run that will need turning around. Thirty-five is a large enough sample to raise a question, even if the reasons behind it may be perfectly straightforward. Every yard has combinations that, for whatever reason, haven't clicked yet.

The bigger picture, though, is one of genuine progress. Twenty-three career winners in four years, a win rate that has doubled season on season, and a standout horse in Lightonthewing — Gardner is doing what good small trainers do: learning, improving, and building a yard with a clear identity. The foundations look solid.