T G McCourt

The most recent 12 months tell a familiar story: 14 winners from 255 runners, which works out at roughly 1 in every 18 races. That is not a flashy number, but training racehorses is a long game, and consistent winners from a yard of this size suggest McCourt knows what he is doing with the horses in his care.

One track where McCourt's record genuinely stands out is Down Royal. Three winners from 13 runners there — just over 1 in every 4 — is the kind of course form that matters. Down Royal is a well-regarded track in Ireland, and arriving there with a realistic chance nearly a quarter of the time suggests McCourt either knows how to place a horse for that track specifically, or simply prepares runners well for its particular demands. Either way, it is a number worth remembering if you spot a McCourt horse in the entries there.

Wet and muddy conditions also appear to suit the yard. From just four races on heavy ground, McCourt has trained one winner — 25%, or 1 in 4 — which is a small sample but an intriguing one. Some trainers genuinely excel when the rain comes, and there is at least a hint here that McCourt's horses handle testing conditions better than most.

The most regular jockey in McCourt's corner is James Ryan, who has ridden 96 times for the yard and converted 5 of those into wins. That win rate of roughly 1 in every 19 mirrors the yard's overall output, which tells you Ryan is the trusted pair of hands here rather than a secret weapon. Whether that partnership develops into something more productive over the next few seasons will be one of the more interesting threads to follow as McCourt continues to grow.