Mr A P Ryan

His 41 career winners in total might sound modest, but context matters: he is only four years in, and the trajectory is pointing sharply upward. The partnership with trainer Andrew Slattery tells a particularly compelling story. From 42 rides together, they have combined for 12 wins — that is winning more than 1 in every 4, a number that suggests something more than luck. When a jockey and trainer find a rhythm like that, it tends to be built on trust and a genuine understanding of how each other works. Slattery clearly puts Ryan up on horses he believes in, and Ryan is delivering.

Then there is Tipperary, where Ryan has won 3 races from just 5 rides. That is a 60% win rate at one track, which borders on the extraordinary. Tracks suit different styles — the bends, the ground, the pace of races — and Ryan appears to have cracked the code at Tipperary in a way that very few riders manage. If you were going to watch him ride anywhere, that is the place to be.

The overall picture is of a jockey who has done his time learning the craft and is now cashing in on that experience. Going from 9 wins in every 100 rides to 18 in 100 in the space of a year is not a fluke — it is the result of better opportunities, better judgment, or both. At this rate, his next twelve months could be more impressive still.