Thomas P O'Connor

The most telling detail is his partnership with Matties Mountain, a horse he has run five times without success. Five races together is enough to suggest a real working relationship — this isn't a one-off — but so far the results haven't come. Similarly, his most-used jockey, Mr Andrew Burke-Ott, has ridden ten times for the yard without a winner. Ten rides is a meaningful sample. It tells you O'Connor has faith in Burke-Ott and keeps coming back to him, but it also tells you the team is still searching for the combination that clicks.

None of this necessarily means failure is permanent — plenty of small trainers operate at this level for years before things start to fall into place. But right now, O'Connor is a trainer defined more by determination than results, and the numbers are honest about that.