Padraig Roche

His overall career tally stands at 52 winners, which tells you this is a small but functional operation with a genuine eye for the big occasion. The current season, however, has been a tougher grind. He has sent out 134 runners and found the winner's enclosure just 7 times — a win rate of around 5%, or roughly 1 in every 19 races. That is a noticeable step back from last season, when he was winning closer to 1 in every 9, so there will be questions about whether this is a blip or a sign that the yard needs strengthening.

One area where Roche shows a genuine edge is on wet or muddy ground. From 6 races in those conditions, he has won 1 — which on the face of it sounds modest, but a 17% win rate in that specific scenario is well above his seasonal average and suggests he knows which horses to run when the weather turns. That kind of situational awareness matters.

His most regular jockey partnership is with Aidan Kelly, who has ridden 44 times for the yard and come home in front on 3 occasions — a win rate of around 7%, or 3 from 44. That is modest, but consistency of partnership has its own value, and the two clearly have a working relationship built over time. Less fruitful, at least in results, is his association with Sine Qua Non — four races together and no wins yet, though the fact Roche keeps running them together suggests he believes the combination has more to give.

What defines Roche, ultimately, is that he has shown he can deliver on the grandest stage. Two Cheltenham wins in four years of training is not luck. The current season may be quieter, but trainers who win top-level races at Cheltenham tend to find a way back there.