William Stone

The partnership with Forglen is the most intriguing thread running through Stone's record. Three wins from 19 races together might not sound like a thunderous ratio, but the fact that one trainer and one horse have kept returning to the well together that many times tells you something about the trust placed in the combination — and the belief that there are more wins to come. It is the kind of long-running partnership that gives a small yard its identity.

Stone's numbers on slightly wet ground are genuinely eye-catching. When conditions are soft underfoot, he wins 4 from 14 — that is 29%, or nearly 1 in every 3 races. For context, his overall rate is 1 in 9. That near-tripling of his success rate in those conditions suggests either that he picks his spots shrewdly when the ground softens, or that he has horses in his care who are built for it. Probably both.

Newmarket is another place where Stone punches above his weight. Three winners from 13 runners at one of the most competitive venues in British racing is a return that many more established trainers would be happy with. Newmarket attracts sharp horses and sharp operators — doing well there, even in small numbers, is a meaningful signal about the quality Stone is capable of producing.

His most regular jockey partnership is with Jack Mitchell, with whom he has landed 2 wins from 19 rides together — matching that same 1-in-9 rate that defines Stone's season overall. It is a working relationship rather than a headline act, but consistency matters, and the two clearly understand each other's game. At four years in, Stone is still a trainer worth watching rather than one to bet the house on — but the foundations look solid, and the trajectory is pointing in the right direction.