Immutable

What stands out, however, is Immutable's affinity for wet ground. On the rare occasions the track turns properly heavy or muddy, this horse comes alive: it has won two of its three races on such conditions, a 67 percent win rate that is genuinely strong. This is valuable information for its the yard — when the forecast promises rain and mud, Immutable becomes a different proposition. The horse also shows a preference for races over a mile and an eighth to a mile and two furlongs, winning two of six at that distance, and it performs noticeably better when partnered with Gary Carroll, the jockey it has worked with most often, winning three of 12 races together for a 25 percent rate.

At the age of six and with a career earnings profile suggesting a firmly mid-level racer, Immutable will likely continue to pick up the occasional win on sympathetic ground rather than ever troubling the top tier. But for a trainer piecing together winners from a modest yard — Murphy sent out 13 winners this season — consistent earners like this are the backbone of the operation. The horse raced just yesterday, so it is clearly being kept busy in the hunt for that next breakthrough.