Noriyuki Hori

The one partnership worth watching closely is with Satono Reve, though not for the reasons you might expect. The pair have raced together four times without a win to show for it, which tells its own story — either the horse keeps running into tough luck, or the right race simply hasn't come along yet. In a sport where patience and timing matter as much as talent, that blank scorecard isn't necessarily a verdict. It's an open question.

Hori is still in the early chapters of what could be a long career. Four years in, one-in-four winners, and at least one horse he clearly believes in. The foundations are there.