Mr J G Murphy

That might sound discouraging, but context matters here. Many jockeys spend years building experience before things click, learning how different horses behave in a race, how to read a pace, when to ask and when to wait. Nine rides is a small sample — some jockeys rack up that many in a single busy week. The fact that he is still getting rides at all after four years suggests someone in the training community believes there is something worth persevering with.

The next winner, when it comes, will be the one that makes the record book look very different.