Gillian Scott

The most striking detail in Scott's record is her partnership with Starting Monday. Thirty races together, zero wins. That is a significant investment of time, entries, and hope in a single horse, and it has yet to pay off in the most basic sense. Whether that reflects the horse's limitations, the level it has been running at, or simply bad luck, thirty attempts without a victory is a hard stretch for any trainer-horse combination to absorb.

Her most regular jockey, Darragh O'Sullivan, has partnered her horses 14 times without a win. Again, that is not necessarily a damning verdict on either party — small yards often struggle to attract the top riders for the biggest days, and 14 rides across a four-year career is a modest sample. But it does suggest the yard has not yet found a combination that clicks consistently.

Where Scott does show a genuine strength is on wet ground. On soft or muddy surfaces, she has won 2 from 6 races — that is 1 in every 3, or 33%. In a sport where trainers spend enormous energy trying to find the right conditions for their horses, that is a real and usable edge. It hints that Scott understands how to place her horses shrewdly when the weather turns, and that some of her string may simply be built for slower, heavier ground. For a trainer with limited firepower, knowing where your horses perform best is not a small thing — it is often the difference between a winner and another near miss.

Four years in, two winners this season, and a notable knack for wet ground. Scott is not setting the sport alight, but trainers who last in this game tend to be the ones who keep learning. The record suggests someone still building, with at least one clear area where the numbers genuinely work in her favour.