Tony McFadden looks at the data for the 2021-22 British jumps season, highlighting the top ten trainers based on strike-rate.
Ann Hamilton 39.39% (13 wins - 33 runners)
Only looking at the trainers who had a minimum of 30 runners in the last campaign, none had a better strike-rate than Ann Hamilton, whose 13 wins came at a remarkable rate of nearly 40%.
What makes that success even more impressive is that Hamilton - who trains with her husband Ian - was represented by only six horses in the latest campaign, with four horses sharing the 13 wins between them.
Bavington Bob was the most prolific, winning five times, including a sequence of four in a row over fences. The flag-bearer for the yard, though, was Tommy's Oscar, who also racked up a four-timer before finding the Champion Hurdle a step too far.
Tommy's Oscar and Bavington Bob were both fine advertisements for how the Hamiltons are able to keep horses progressing and out of the grip of the handicapper.
John McConnell 24.14% (14-58)
John McConnell is based in Ireland but he enjoyed plenty of success on his raids to Britain, winning 14 times, including in Grade 2 company at Doncaster with Mahler Mission.
Mahler Mission added another British success to his tally when scoring at Perth last week, and that is a venue where his trainer has fared notably well.
McConnell had three winners at Perth in the latest season and also hit the crossbar on a couple of occasions, so his runners at the September meeting - a fixture he struck twice at last year - will be entitled to plenty of respect.
Richard Bandey 24.05% (19-79)
Few trainers finished the latest season in better form than Richard Bandey, who had three winners and two seconds from just eight runners in April, while in March he had six winners from 14 runners at a strike-rate north of 40%.
Bandey finished the campaign with 19 winners, and it was a season in which the former point-to-point trainer really announced his arrival on the scene.
Among those 19 wins was a Cheltenham success courtesy of Diesel D'Allier's cross-country victory in December, while a couple of excellent placed efforts from Mister Malarky, who joined from Colin Tizzard, highlighted an important ability to rejuvenate recruits.
The star for Bandey, though, is Saint Palais, a winner on four of his five starts over fences. At the age of five he has the potential to be a flag-bearer for his upwardly-mobile yard for years to come.
Donald McCain 23.38% (155-663)
Donald McCain and Brian Hughes both reaped the rewards for their mutually beneficial partnership, with the pair successfully combining 104 times during the latest season.
Hughes' 204 winners was nearly double the next best in the jockeys' championship and no trainer sent out more winners than McCain, who clocked a personal-best tally of 155.
That beat McCain's previous best total of 153, which was achieved during the 2011-12 season and was the only other occasion when he clocked a strike-rate in excess of 20%.
Remarkably, for a trainer who sent out 663 runners, a tally that was topped by only Dan Skelton and Fergal O'Brien, you would have made a small level-stake profit (£8.52 to £1 stakes) backing all his runners.
Paul Nicholls 22.73% (143-629)
Paul Nicholls may be lacking the firepower to compete with the Irish powerhouses at the big festivals but he has still found a way to churn out winners with remarkable consistency and was crowned champion trainer for the 13th time.
Nicholls fell short of last season's tally of 176, but 143 winners is still an excellent haul that was bettered by only McCain.
It is testament to how well Nicholls places his horses that the last time he failed to register a strike-rate of 20% or higher was in 1994-95.
Gary Hanmer 22.07% (32-145)
Gary Hanmer had never registered double-figures in a single season before but he hit that landmark in August and carried on the good work, eventually finishing with 32 winners.
Sir Tivo contributed six wins alone, while Wbee added four, including one at Cheltenham's April meeting.
Hanmer also fared well by metrics other than strike rate, with his level-stake profit of £76.29 to £1 stakes bettered by only Micky Hammond (£90.37).
Milton Harris 21.88% (56-256)
Milton Harris also registered a notable level-stake profit during the latest season - you'd have made £35.55 backing his runners to £1 stakes.
The star for Harris was undoubtedly Knight Salute, who won six of his seven starts, including in Grade 1 company at Aintree on his final outing.
There were other success stories, though, with one such example being Jacamar, who landed a good-quality handicap at Kempton on Boxing Day that was shown on ITV.
Harris' tally of 56 winners was more than double his previous best of 24, which was achieved in 2006-07.
Toby Lawes 21.74% (15-69)
Altior's former work-rider Toby Lawes only sent out his first runners in the 2019-20 season and his results during the latest campaign are certainly encouraging for his prospects.
Lawes had nine winners at a 16% strike-rate in 2020-21 and he improved that to 15 winners at nearly 22% last term, while he also registered a small level-stake profit (£2.40).
Nicky Henderson 21.39% (120-561)
Nicky Henderson was ultimately no match for Paul Nicholls in the race to be champion trainer, but there were still plenty of highlights, including the emergence of another star in the shape of Constitution Hill, the highest-rated novice hurdler in Timeform's history.
Henderson's yard went quiet in February and he had only seven winners that month at a strike-rate of just 13%, but that was just a blip in another solid campaign overall.
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Martin Keighley 21.29% (43-202)
Martin Keighley was coming off the back of a few quiet campaigns, including a notably disappointing one in 2020-21 when he failed to hit double-figures for the first time since 2008-09.
However, Keighley bounced back in style during the latest campaign, registering a career-best tally of 43 at an impressive strike-rate in excess of 21%, which was also his best ever.
Keighley was quickly out of the blocks and had hit double-figures by June, with Back On The Lash contributing to that early success. Back On The Lash went on to score at Cheltenham, landing the cross-country event at the November meeting.
Top ten trainers by strike-rate in Britain during 2021-22 (minimum 30 runners)
- Ann Hamilton 39.39% (13 wins - 33 runners)
- John McConnell 24.14% (14-58)
- Richard Bandey 24.05% (19-79)
- Donald McCain 23.38% (155-663)
- Paul Nicholls 22.73% (143-629)
- Gary Hanmer 22.07% (32-145)
- Milton Harris 21.88% (56-256)
- Toby Lawes 21.74% (15-69)
- Nicky Henderson 21.39% (120-561)
- Martin Keighley 21.29% (43-202)
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