Mark Edmund McCrory

The most notable thread in his record so far is his association with Soldier Saint, a horse he has saddled three times. Three races together, no wins — but the fact that one horse accounts for the majority of his runners tells you something about the scale of the operation. This is a trainer working with a very small string, where every run matters and every result is felt acutely.

With just four runners on the board, it is genuinely too early to draw conclusions. Some of the most respected handlers in the country spent their early years in exactly this position — building quietly, learning their horses, waiting for the right moment. McCrory's story is only just beginning.