Jamie Osborne

The most important relationship in Osborne's yard is the one closest to home. Jockey Saffie Osborne — his daughter — has ridden 180 races for the stable and turned 25 of them into wins, a rate of roughly 1 in every 7. That kind of sustained partnership, built over hundreds of races together, tells you these two understand each other. A trainer and jockey who genuinely click can be worth several lengths before the race even starts.

Osborne is at his most dangerous when the sun has been out. On fast, dry ground, his horses win at a remarkable rate — 4 from 18 races, which works out at roughly 1 in every 4 or 5. That is nearly double his overall season average, and it suggests the yard has horses who genuinely thrive when conditions are quick. Punters who follow the weather forecast as closely as the racecard could do a lot worse than keeping an eye on Osborne's runners in a dry spell.

Newcastle is another place where his record demands attention. Three winners from just 6 runners there is extraordinary — he is winning half his races at that track. Whether that reflects a specific type of horse he favours, an understanding of how that course rides, or simply a run of good fortune is hard to say with only six races to go on. But at a 50% rate, you would be foolish not to notice.

The one notable exception in an otherwise encouraging picture is his four-race partnership with Frank Stamper, which has yet to produce a winner. Four races is a small sample, and cold runs happen to everyone, but it is the one blemish in a story that otherwise reads as a steady, purposeful rise. Osborne is still in the relatively early chapters of his training career, but at 154 winners and climbing, those chapters are getting more interesting by the season.