J-C Rouget

The last 12 months have been quieter. Three runners, no winners — though with such a small sample, that tells you more about the scale of the operation than the quality of it. One blank spell proves nothing either way for a yard that has already shown it can compete at the very top level.

What makes Rouget's record genuinely interesting is how quickly it arrived. A Class 1 winner within the first few months of training is a serious statement. Most trainers take years to reach that level, if they reach it at all. Sandown Park is now the track his name is attached to, and that association — a big occasion, a big course, a big win — is the kind of foundation you can build a career on.