Kieran P Cotter

That top-level record is worth pausing on. Class 1 races are the elite tier of the sport, and landing three of them inside your first four years is a genuine statement. Many trainers operate perfectly respectably for decades without getting near one. Cotter has collected them in pairs at Newmarket alone, which suggests he travels to the big meetings ready to compete rather than simply make up the numbers.

The current season tells a quieter story — 7 winners from 99 runners works out at roughly 1 in every 14 races, which is modest. But numbers like that rarely capture the full picture of a smaller yard that picks its spots carefully and punches above its weight when the moment arrives.

One area where Cotter's horses consistently come alive is on wet or muddy ground. In those conditions he has won 3 races from 18, a win rate of 17 percent — roughly 1 in every 6. Compared to his overall figures, that is more than double his average, and it is the kind of pattern that tells a knowledgeable observer something real about how his horses are trained and which days to pay close attention. His most regular jockey partnership is with Declan McDonogh, who has ridden for the yard 13 times and landed 1 winner together, while Arklow Lad has given Cotter 1 win from their 6 races as a partnership.

Still only four years in, Cotter is a trainer whose CV already has more highlights than many achieve in a career twice as long. The big-race wins are there. The wet-ground angle is there. The story is still being written.