Mr Derek O'Connor

That Cheltenham victory stands as the headline. A top-level race at the most famous jumping track in the world is not something most jockeys ever get to put on their CV, and O'Connor has one already, less than half a decade in. It suggests a rider who can raise his game when the occasion calls for it.

His partnership with trainer A.J. Martin is one of the more productive relationships in his book of rides. From 12 races together they have combined for 3 wins — a win rate of 25%, or 1 in every 4 rides. That kind of ratio tells you there is genuine trust between yard and jockey, and that when Martin puts O'Connor up, the horse tends to be ready and the rider tends to deliver.

Two tracks and conditions stand out in his profile. At Punchestown, one of Ireland's most prestigious jumping venues, he has won 4 times from just 13 rides — nearly 1 in every 3. Turning up at a track that often and converting at that rate means he either knows the place exceptionally well, or he keeps getting put on the right horses there, or both. On very wet, muddy ground — the kind of conditions that test a horse's stamina and a jockey's nerve — he has won 2 from 8, again landing on that 25% mark. Some jockeys thrive in the mud, others don't, and O'Connor clearly does.

Fifty-eight winners in four years, a Cheltenham scalp already banked, and a clutch of statistics that sit well above average in the areas that matter most. He is not yet a household name, but the foundations are there for someone who could become one.