Billy Lee

The headline numbers are impressive, but what really catches the eye is Lee's record on wet or muddy ground. In those conditions, he wins 14 races from every 66 — that's 21%, or closer to 1 in every 5. That is a meaningful step up from his overall numbers, and it suggests something real: either he rides differently when the ground gets heavy, or he is being put on the right horses by people who trust his judgement in those circumstances. Either way, when the rain comes down, Lee becomes a more dangerous proposition.

He has also shown he can handle the big occasions. Five wins at the top level of the sport, at venues including York, Cheltenham and Aintree, tells you he does not shrink when the stage gets bigger. Those three tracks are as demanding and prestigious as it gets — Cheltenham and Aintree in particular are where reputations are made and lost — and collecting winners at all three is the mark of someone who belongs in those fields.

His strongest working relationship is with trainer W McCreery, for whom he has ridden 9 winners from 83 races together — around 1 in every 9. It is a steady, productive partnership of the kind that gives a jockey a reliable source of rides and a trainer someone they know they can trust. Then there is City Of Memphis, the horse that brings out the best in him: three wins from just four races together is a remarkable hit rate and the kind of pairing that makes racegoers take notice.

Sligo rounds out the picture — three winners from just five appearances there. Small sample, but at a rate of 3 in 5 it is hard to ignore. Some jockeys just click with certain tracks, and Sligo looks like one of Lee's.