Bryan Smart

Where Smart does his best work is on normal, dry-ish ground. On standard conditions he has won 13 of 99 races — roughly 1 in every 8 — which suggests his horses are trained to perform when the track is fair rather than testing. Southwell also stands out as a happy hunting ground: 5 winners from 35 runners there, which may not sound spectacular, but that kind of consistent return at a single track often reflects a trainer who understands the track's quirks and targets it deliberately.

His most productive relationship in the saddle is with jockey Paul Mulrennan, and the numbers tell a clear story — 9 wins from 69 rides together, or roughly 1 in every 8. That is well above Smart's overall average this season, which suggests the two have developed a genuine understanding of how to place and ride the horses in the yard. When Mulrennan is booked, it is worth paying attention.

The most intriguing thread in Smart's record is his partnership with Station X — three wins from 18 races together. That is a 1-in-6 hit rate with a single horse, and it points to a trainer who has built real confidence and trust with a particular animal over time. Three wins from 18 goes is the kind of return that keeps a partnership alive and suggests Smart knows exactly how and where to place Station X to give it the best chance.

At four years in and 91 winners deep, Smart is a trainer in the building phase — not yet a household name, but clearly someone who knows how to win races when conditions suit.