Barry McHugh

His most regular working relationship is with trainer Richard Fahey, one of the busiest yards in the north of England. With 48 rides together and just 1 winner between them, that's a win rate of around 2% — not the kind of number that looks good on paper. But volume like that speaks to a trainer who keeps coming back, and in racing, consistent bookings from a major yard are currency. Fahey clearly values him in the saddle even when the results have been hard to come by.

Where McHugh does catch the eye is on wet ground. In muddy or soft conditions he has won 2 from 13 races — that's roughly 1 in every 6 or 7, which at 15% is nearly double his overall rate. Some jockeys just have a feel for horses that are struggling in the muck, knowing when to ask and when to wait, and McHugh appears to be one of them. On a rainy afternoon, he is worth a second look.

His best individual partnership is with Free Pic — two wins from four races together, which is a 50% record and the sort of combination that makes you think the horse and rider bring something out in each other. Whether that continues will be one of the small storylines worth following.

At 23 winners from 298 rides this season, McHugh is not yet setting the world alight, but he is four years in, gaining experience at a serious rate, and showing flashes — particularly on wet ground and with Free Pic — that hint at what he could become. The next step is turning those flashes into something more consistent.