Dan Horsford

His most regular jockey partnership is with Brendan Powell, who has ridden 11 of Horsford's horses and come home in front once — a win rate of around 1 in 11. That is modest, but the relationship is clearly one the team values, and in a new yard these working partnerships take time to click. What is more telling is how Horsford's horses perform on slightly soft ground: 2 wins from 13 races at a 15% win rate, meaningfully above his overall average. That is not a coincidence — it hints that the yard may be producing horses that genuinely travel through cut in the ground, which in a British winter can be a useful edge.

Six months in, there is not yet a signature win or a standout course record to point to. What there is, though, is a trainer learning fast in public, posting winners steadily, and showing early signs of knowing what conditions suit his horses. The story of Dan Horsford is one to follow rather than judge — the interesting chapter is still being written.