Donagh O'Connor

The most intriguing detail in O'Connor's record is also the most puzzling. His most frequent partnership this season has been with trainer John C McConnell, for whom he has ridden in 57 races — a significant chunk of his total workload — without a single win. Fifty-seven rides is not bad luck; it is a pattern. What makes it odd is that it sits alongside a wider season record that shows clear improvement. Something about that particular combination simply has not clicked, whether that is the type of horse, the tracks, or just timing. It is the kind of statistic that both jockey and trainer will be well aware of.

Where O'Connor does show a genuine edge is in wet, testing conditions. On soft or muddy ground he has won 2 from 14 races this season, a win rate of 14% — nearly double his overall average. That means when the rain comes and the ground gets heavy, he is winning roughly 1 in every 7 rides, which is a meaningful ability to have. Some jockeys ride wet ground poorly, losing confidence or losing rhythm; O'Connor appears to do the opposite. For any trainer with a horse that wants cut in the ground, that is useful knowledge.

At 74 career winners and still only four years in, O'Connor is not yet a name that casual fans will recognise. But the numbers suggest a jockey who is getting better, learning his craft, and finding ways to win. The McConnell puzzle aside, there is enough here to think the improvement is real.