Whilst several high-profile trainers have left the sport in recent years, others have emerged to take up the reigns. Amongst the raft of new handlers, few have made a stronger impression than Newmarket-based James Owen.
A former amateur jockey, Owen rose to prominence in the racing world as a champion trainer of Point-to-Point performers and Arabian-bred runners. Since taking out a professional licence in 2022, the good times have continued to roll at his Green Ridge Stables operation.
Many trainers wait years for a Group/Graded breakthrough. Not James Owen, who, barely three years into his career, already has a Group 2 win on the flat and two Grade 2 triumphs over hurdles to his name.
Barely into January 2025, Owen has already bettered his 2024 total winners and prize money tallies. If continuing at his current rate, he may go close to breaking the £1m prize money barrier in just his second full season.
All in all, we would suggest that this is a yard worth keeping firmly on your side in the seasons to come. Here, we look at the star performers at the Newmarket operation and pick out the runners we will follow with particular interest in 2025.
Stable Stars
Burdett Road
Extremely talented on the flat and over jumps, Burdett Road is the type of horse all trainers dream of.
Following a breakthrough Grade 2 success in the JCB Triumph Trial at Cheltenham, the son of Muhaarar assumed favouritism for the big race at the festival. His subsequent beating at the hands of Sir Gino doesn’t look too bad now, but he ultimately missed his Triumph engagement through injury.
The five-year-old returned with a bang to claim the hugely competitive Greatwood Hurdle before finishing a respectable third behind Constitution Hill and Lossiemouth in the Christmas Hurdle. Now up to a mark of 150, the County Hurdle probably represents his best chance of success at the 2025 Cheltenham Festival, but he may yet line up in the Champion Hurdle.
Meanwhile, on the flat, Burdett Road has already scored at Listed level and ran well in the British Champions Long Distance Cup. His trainer has suggested that he may travel to target the big prizes. Could a shot at the Melbourne Cup be on the horizon?
East India Dock
The 2024/25 edition of Burdett Road. Going in the same yellow and black silks of the Gredley Family, East India Dock also won the JCB Triumph Trial. Following that emphatic 18l rout, he sits second in the market for the big one and is likely to make his next appearance on Trials Day at the end of January. If as good as he looked at Cheltenham in November, Owen may have a star on his hands.
Wimbledon Hawkeye
This son of 2000 Guineas champ Kameko is the star flat performer in the yard, having landed the Group 2 Royal Lodge Stakes and finished a solid third in the Group 1 Futurity Trophy. Those efforts suggest he may be Classic bound in 2025. Whilst his pedigree suggests that the 2000 Guineas may be the best fit, he was doing all his best work late in a soft-ground edition of the Futurity, suggesting a tilt at the Epsom showpiece may not be unrealistic.
Five to Follow
The above trio are the most likely to take Owen and The Gredley Family to the biggest stages. However, there are plenty of others who look worth following in the coming months, with the following five, in particular, catching our eye.
- Liam Swagger – Another Owen runner for The Gredley Family group. Very consistent, having finished in the first three in eight of ten outings under rules, the son of Iffraaj boasts a steadily improving profile. His winning run ended at Newbury in December, but that still rated a fine effort under a big weight, and we suspect he may progress beyond a hurdles mark of 124.
- Nazare – One of the more promising Bumper performers in the yard. Nazare showed promise when second on debut at Southwell in December and took a big step forward when easily landing a Huntingdon contest at the beginning of the year. With a couple of Point to Point and Bumper winners in behind that day, the form looks solid, and it will be interesting to see how high this five-year-old can fly.
- Pellitory – This huge son of Sergei Prokofiev showed plenty of promise in his juvenile season – winning two of six starts to end the year on a mark of 87. Given his size, it seems reasonable to expect there may be more to come as he fills his frame. Reportedly working well with Wimbledon Hawkeye, we like this one's chances of progressing to Listed level at least.
- Sixpack – Intriguing stayer whom Owen purchased out of the yard of Johnny Murtagh. One to look out for in good ground events at 1m4f-1m6f where his form figures read 112. That sole defeat came when attempting to concede 9lb to the now 92-rated Extensio, suggesting Sixpack could be pretty well-handicapped off his current mark of 79.
- Trad Jazz – Raced only once in her debut campaign, this Sea The Moon filly made a most favourable impression when landing a 1m Kempton Maiden by 3¾. Doing all of her best work late that day, this nicely bred sort can improve when stepped up in trip and is another with Listed class potential.
Paul Harrison
Falling in love with racing at a young age, Paul’s passion for sports and betting took him to Salford University, where he obtained a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics with Gambling Studies. Having spent ten years in the employment of a leading bookmaker, Paul opted to go it alone and pursue his dream job as a freelance writer.
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