Trainer profile: Sam England
Forty years ago, Yorkshire was a hotbed of Jump racing excellence, led by the Dickinson and Easterby families. The county has enjoyed success at the highest level since then, mind, through the exploits of Howard Johnson’s Inglis Drever and Sue Smith’s Aurora’s Encore, winners of 3 Stayers’ Hurdles and a Grand National. But the county has a stronger presence on the Flat nowadays.
But whereas most Southern and Midlands racecourse top trainer tables are led by the bigger Lambourn, West Country and Gloucestershire yards, the shape of consistent excellence takes a different order up north.
No surprise to see Lucinda Russell as the leading player at Hexham these past five seasons, nor indeed the versatile Mark Walford in second place, admirably consistent training winners at Ripon as at Yarridge Moor, and the timeless consistency of the Nicky Richards’ stable in Cumbria in hot pursuit.
But a relative newcomer leads the table to date in 2026 in Sam England, based at Manor Farm, Guisely. With eight winners already at Hexham in 2026, she leads the table yet this is no overnight wonder.
Relative newcomer is a harsh analysis of a trainer who has lived and breathed horses since childhood. Graduating from hunting and showing to Pointing, she rode some 30 winners, then trained a similar volume before taking out a full licence to train professionally in the 2015-16 season.
That learning experience has been applied with great success. This is not a Walter Mitty organisation, where hope and expectation met a grisly rendez-vous with competitive reality. The volume of winners has grown year on year, as has the strike rate, running at an outstanding 26% on all Jumps runners in 2026 so far. This is no yard shooting at the moon, but one who assesses its stock realistically and places well.
From first ever runner, Star Presenter, succeeding in a handicap chase at Catterick in January 2016, the England stable, pairing the training expertise of Samantha with riding prowess of husband Jonathan, has continued to make its mark, so far with horses of relatively moderate ability.
However, a trait that is proven time and again is among horses who win time and again: most recently, Passengerontheship, a five time winner in the space of two months this May-June, 4 at Hexham; Saligo Bay, a five time winner between May and November last year; Al Zaraquan, a five time chase winner in 12 months between May ’24 and May ’25. This tells a story of robust horses that take their racing and have a zest for it.
The last six years have seen the yard expand its interest to include the flat. In a county with 9 racecourses which all stage racing on the level, this is not such a giant leap, particularly among older handicappers rather than the blue bloods that tend to populate novice events. 22 winners during 2025’s flat season tell a tale of growing confidence in this sphere too.
The quality of horse at Manor Farm currently ensures that Sam England is a player at the likes of Hexham and Cartmel rather than Newcastle or Wetherby. But you’d be a fool to think the yard will not be a leading stable in the North within the next five years.
To paraphrase our most famous mariner, England expects that every horse will do its duty. Watch this space.
Published by Peter McNeile 20/09/2026