Tom Buckley

The picture right now, though, is a tough one. He hasn't managed a winner from his last 10 rides this season, which is the kind of run that tests any jockey's confidence. Ten rides without a win doesn't necessarily mean anything is wrong — some of that simply comes down to the horses available to him — but it does mean he needs a result soon to get momentum going again. In this sport, winners breed winners: trainers notice when a jockey is in form, and they tend to phone someone who has been winning recently.

The interesting question is whether those 37 career winners are a springboard or a ceiling. At four years in, Buckley is still in the phase where a strong run of form could genuinely change the trajectory of his career. One good horse, one yard that starts using him regularly — that's often all it takes.