M A Cahill

The most striking number buried in this season's record is actually on wet ground. With the turf softened by rain, Cahill has won 1 from 8 — around 1 in every 8, or 12% — which stands out sharply against the overall picture. That suggests there may be horses in the yard that genuinely need cut in the ground to show their best, and that Cahill has some feel for placing them in the right conditions when the weather cooperates. A trainer who can identify what their horses want is a trainer worth watching when circumstances align.

The partnership with jockey Alan Persse tells its own quiet story. Ten rides together and no wins is not a combination you would point to as a source of confidence right now, though volume alone tells you there is a working relationship worth maintaining. Similarly, Cahill has sent out Wild Wild Wind nine times without finding the winner's enclosure — a pairing that has taken up a significant share of the yard's resources this season with nothing to show for it yet. Sometimes that just means the right race hasn't come along. Sometimes it means harder conversations are needed. At this stage, it is impossible to say which.

What is clear is that Cahill is still a relatively young trainer with four years of experience — not long enough to write anyone off, but long enough to know that this season needs to turn around. The foundations of something better are faintly visible in those wet-ground numbers. Whether next season looks more like last year's 8% or this year's 2% will say a great deal about where this yard is really headed.