Murty McGrath

The most intriguing thread in McGrath's recent record is his partnership with Onlyriversrunfree. Six races together and still no winner — yet the fact that he keeps running the horse tells you something about the belief in the yard. Some combinations take time to click, and in racing, persistence often matters as much as pedigree.

Where McGrath does show a sharper edge is on normal ground conditions, winning one from four races run in standard conditions — that's a win rate of 25%, or one in every four, which comfortably outpaces his overall numbers. It's a small sample, but it's the kind of detail a shrewd observer files away. When the ground is right, this yard finds another gear.