Tom Eaves

His most productive relationship has been with trainer Kevin Ryan, and the numbers back up why that partnership keeps going. Eaves has ridden 141 races for Ryan and come away with 12 wins — roughly 1 in every 12, which works out at 9%. In a sport where margins are everything, having a trainer who trusts you with that volume of rides, and who you repay with results at nearly double the frequency of your overall average, is genuinely meaningful.

One of the more interesting wrinkles in Eaves's profile is how he performs when the ground gets wet and heavy underfoot. On soft conditions he wins 1 in every 7 races — 6 wins from 44 rides, a 14% return that comfortably outstrips anything else on his record. Some jockeys fade when conditions turn difficult; Eaves appears to sharpen.

The honest story of this season, though, is that things have been tougher. He has ridden 434 races and won just 25 of them — roughly 1 in every 17, a win rate of 6%. Last year that figure sat at 10%, which means he was winning nearly twice as often. A dip like that is not unusual in a sport as unforgiving as horse racing, but it is worth noting. Four years in, 202 career winners, and six top-level victories already banked — the foundation is clearly there. Whether this season is a blip or a sign of something more structural is the question his next 100 rides will probably answer.