David Nolan

The standout entries on his CV are two Class 1 victories, both of them coming at Ayr. Class 1 races are the top tier of British racing — the biggest stages, the best horses, the sharpest competition. Winning one is an achievement. Winning two, and both at the same track, suggests Nolan has a particular feel for Ayr and knows how to deliver on a big occasion when it matters most.

His most reliable working relationship is with trainer David O'Meara, whose yard has handed Nolan 139 rides and seen 14 of them converted into wins — again that 1-in-10 ratio. That is a lot of rides, which tells you O'Meara trusts him with the horses regularly, even if the winners haven't always come in clusters. Partnerships built on volume like this tend to be about consistency and communication as much as fireworks.

Worth singling out is his record at Wolverhampton, where he has turned 4 of 18 rides into winners — closer to 1 in every 4 or 5. That is noticeably better than his overall average, and at an all-weather track that runs year-round, having a jockey who genuinely clicks with the circuit is something trainers pay attention to.

Perhaps the most intriguing thread in his recent record is his partnership with Flowstate — two wins from five races together. That is a 40% win rate, which in racing terms is extraordinary. Whether that reflects a horse who simply performs better with Nolan in the saddle, or whether the timing has just been fortunate, is hard to say. But when a jockey wins 2 from 5 on the same horse, people tend to keep booking them together.