David Brace

The one relationship that stands out for the wrong reasons is his partnership with Junior Des Mottes. Six races together and not a single win is a frustrating record, and at some point that combination will either need to find a race that suits or the two will go their separate ways. It doesn't necessarily mean the horse is poor or Brace is doing anything wrong — sometimes a pairing just hasn't found the right opportunity yet — but six attempts without a breakthrough is hard to ignore.

Four years in, Brace is still very much in the early chapters of his training career. The small string and low winner count are typical of someone still establishing themselves, and the honest truth is that 2 winners from 23 runners won't turn many heads. But the improvement from last season to this one is the most interesting stat here. If that upward curve continues, the profile this time next year could look quite different.