Vanessa Ryle: The North/South Divide

Vanessa Ryle
27 July 2022
3:00 min read

Vanesa Ryle Betfair Horse Racing Tipster

Racing expert Vanessa Ryle weighs in on the sport's so called 'North/South' divide

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In her latest Betfair column Vanessa looks at the argument between the North and South divide, which may not hold up as far as flat racing goes...

"This year the master of Spiggot Lodge, located just outside Middleham in the Yorkshire Dales, has already notched up 74 winners, but the impressive statistic is when looking at his 17% strike rate, a figure a fair bit higher than it has been in previous years."

In recent times there has been plenty of discussion and debate in racing about the North/South trainer divide, with many believing that the balance - or imbalance in this case - of horses trained in the South rather than the North is both unhealthy and unfair.

The power base is so rooted in the South, resulting in misrepresentation, and indeed a mismatch, when it comes to the sport's bigger festivals.

You've heard that argument, right? Only you've probably heard it in the winter, pertaining to National Hunt racing, where there truly is a chasm, but it's hardly mentioned at all during the summer. That's because the flat trainers based in the North more than hold their own at the biggest and best meetings.

Northern trainers are top of the pops

When looking at the current top 20 flat trainers in the UK, as many as six of the names on the list train in the North - Messrs Johnston, Burke, Fahey, O'Meara, Easterby and Appleby (M) - which is something to shout about, and the numbers behind the names offer a healthy dose of positivity.

What's more, just outside of the top 20 are the likes of Kevin Ryan, the relocated Hugo Palmer and Michael Dods, who've all had success in the South this year.

One of the stories of the season is the rise and rise of Mostly Cloudy who took his handicap sequence to five at Ascot in the Brown Jack last week, a masterful campaign masterminded by Gemma Tutty.

Karl Burke is set to have his best season to date having picked up this year where he left off in 2021 when he trained 100 winners for the first time in his career, as well as a remarkable number of second placings (119), proving how well the yard was running even when they weren't winning.

This year the master of Spiggot Lodge, located just outside Middleham in the Yorkshire Dales, has already notched up 74 winners, but the impressive statistic is when looking at his 17% strike rate, a figure a fair bit higher than it has been in previous years.

Big winners from the yard in the last six months include the likes of Listed successes for Last Crusader, Snooze N You Lose and Guilded. However, it's the two-year-olds who have really caught the eye this season and they include Royal Ascot winners Holloway Boy and Dramatised.

The former backed up his Chesham Stakes shock win on his debut by proving it was no fluke to finish second in the Vintage Stakes at Goodwood, and the latter now looks like she may take her chance in the Group 1 Prix Morny, in which she'd give whichever boys oppose her some sleepless nights ahead of Deauville.

Quinn is quids-in

Another Northern trainer going through a golden spell is John Quinn whose yard in Settrington in North Yorkshire is operating at a 25% strike rate with four winners in just the last week alone.

Those victories include Lord Ridderford, who took his record at Goodwood to three wins from four starts at the track when taking the Nicholson Gin Handicap on day one of the 'Glorious' Festival for the second time

It is a long way down to Goodwood from Yorkshire and John Quinn and his team are shrewd enough to not waste the petrol money - especially in the current climate - by only taking runners to the track who they clearly think have a good chance of bringing home the bacon, and the numbers prove that.

Nine winners from 70 runners at the track equates to a 13% strike rate but the noteworthy statistic is the level stakes profit of 28 points, and almost half (33) of the 70 runners have taken a haul of win-and-place prize money home with them.

The Quinn's Goodwood raid for this year may not be over yet, either, as they saddle Mr Wagyu in the Stewards' Cup on Saturday and the battle-hardened sprinter looks to defy a 6-lb penalty and follow up on his recent Irish raid where the seven-year-old took the Scurry Handicap in fine style when sent off favourite.

No. 5 (20)

Mr Wagyu (Ire)

Trainer: John Quinn
Jockey: Jason Hart
Age: 7
Weight: 9st 8lbs
OR: 106

He won the consolation race - the Stewards' Sprint - last year and now he's all systems go for the main event.

Soapy Stevens could clean up

It would be remiss to talk about Northern trainers flying the flag in the south during 'Glorious' Goodwood without referencing Mark and Charlie Johnston, who will have 30 runners this week at the Festival

The duo are already on the board courtesy of Forest Falcon's impressive exhibition of galloping in the very first race of the week.

Looking towards the end of the week, the team will send out Soapy Stevens in Saturday's Summer Handicap over 1m6f which is a race the Johnston team have won four times in the last seven years.

No. 4 (11)

Soapy Stevens

Trainer: Charlie & Mark Johnston
Jockey: Franny Norton
Age: 4
Weight: 9st 4lbs
OR: 94

Their flourishing four-year-old is one of the big improvers in the race, having won his last two starts, more cosily than the short-head margin might suggest at the July Meeting last time.

As such, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that another Southern pot goes the way of the North in a season that has yet again highlighted that, as far as flat racing goes, there's no such thing as a geographical divide.