Louise Allan

The most telling thread running through her record is her partnership with Different Drum. Two wins from 18 races together might not sound like much on paper, but when a small yard keeps returning to the same horse and the horse keeps rewarding that faith, it says something about the relationship between trainer and animal. For a trainer still finding her feet, having even one reliable performer to build around matters.

There is also a small but interesting detail buried in her stats: on slightly wet ground, Allan's horses have won 1 from 5 races, a 20% win rate — one in every five runners. That's five times better than her overall season average, and suggests she either knows how to prepare horses for those conditions or simply has horses that come alive when the ground softens. It's the kind of edge that, if she can identify and exploit it more consistently, could become a genuine calling card as her string develops.

At four years in, Allan is still at the stage where every winner is hard-earned and the losses outnumber the victories by a wide margin. The dip this season is a reminder of how unforgiving training can be — but the foundation is there, and small yards have been built on less.