Patrick Magee

The last twelve months tell a story of perseverance over reward. Eight winners from 152 runners — roughly 1 in every 19 races — is a thin return, and it reflects the reality of operating at the smaller end of a deeply competitive profession. For context, a trainer firing on all cylinders might win 1 in every 5 or 6 races; at 1 in 19, Magee is working hard for every result he gets.

The most curious detail in his recent record is the partnership with jockey Jack Kearney. Thirty rides together and not a single win between them — zero from 30 — is the kind of statistic that makes you wonder whether the combination simply hasn't clicked, or whether the horses going to Kearney have been the ones with the toughest tasks. Either way, it is a streak that both men will be keen to break. The association with Good Deal has produced just 1 win from 10 races together, which at least puts a number on the board, even if the horse hasn't made it a regular habit.

Where Magee does show a cleaner hand is on normal ground conditions. Four wins from 46 races in those circumstances gives a win rate of around 1 in 12 — noticeably better than his overall figures, and a useful pointer for anyone following the yard. When the ground is riding as it should, his horses seem to perform closer to their best.

At this stage of his career, Magee looks like a trainer still finding his feet and building his string. Twenty-one winners in four years is a foundation, not a flourish — but most successful training careers looked exactly like this from the outside before something clicked.