Paul Mulligan

The most interesting thread in the data is also the most puzzling one. Rory Mulligan — almost certainly a family connection — has ridden for the yard 19 times without a winner. Nineteen rides, zero wins. For context, even a modest trainer-jockey partnership would typically expect to land at least one or two from that many attempts. That partnership clearly means something beyond pure results, but on the scoreboard it has yet to click.

Where there is a genuine bright spot is with Arctic Steps. One win from three races together is a meaningful return — that is winning 1 in every 3 races with that horse, a completely different story to the yard's overall picture. It suggests Paul Mulligan knows that horse well and has found a way to get the best out of it. One horse clicking like that is often where a trainer's confidence grows.

The normal ground figure is also worth noting — 1 win from 13 races on standard conditions works out at 8%, or roughly 1 in every 13. In a yard that wins so rarely overall, that is where the small amount of success has come from, and it is the condition worth watching for if you are following these runners.

Three years in, Paul Mulligan is at the stage every small trainer knows well: more questions than answers, but a horse in Arctic Steps that gives the yard something to build around.