Mr P Verling(7)

The "(7)" next to his name is worth explaining: it means he's an amateur rider still serving an apprenticeship, and he's currently allowed to claim a 7-pound weight allowance. In practical terms, that means the horse he rides carries less weight than it would with an experienced professional — which makes him an attractive booking for trainers looking to give a young rider a chance while gaining a small competitive edge. That allowance shrinks as he rides more winners, so in a strange way, his first win will cost him something too.

One ride from roughly five months in the saddle tells you almost nothing about where he'll end up. The only honest thing to say is that the career of Mr P Verling is, as of now, a blank page — and that's not a criticism. Everyone who ever rode a winner started exactly here.