Gregor Walkingshaw

The most notable feature of Walkingshaw's career so far is his established relationship with the yard run by Lucinda Russell and Michael Scudamore — one of the most respected training partnerships in jump racing. He has ridden 35 of his 40 races for them, which tells you something important: trainers do not keep putting a jockey up on their horses out of loyalty alone. They believe he can do the job, even if the winners have not arrived yet. Russell and Scudamore run a serious operation, and being their go-to rider for a particular set of horses is a meaningful foothold.

The honest picture is this — zero wins from 40 rides this season, and zero from 40 over the last 12 months. There is no way to dress that up. But jump racing in particular has a long history of jockeys who spent years in the wilderness before everything clicked. The first winner, when it comes, tends to open a door rather than just tick a box.