T J Nagle Jr

The most telling relationship in his training career so far is the one with Noble Talent, a horse he has saddled for 21 races together, picking up 2 wins along the way. That is roughly 1 in every 10 races — modest on paper, but in a yard of this size and at this stage of development, those two wins represent genuine highlights. Twenty-one races with the same horse also speaks to a loyalty and patience that is increasingly rare: Nagle Jr has stuck with Noble Talent through the ups and downs rather than moving the horse on when things got difficult.

The next winner, whenever it comes, will matter. Four years in, every trainer needs momentum — a run of form that attracts new horses to the yard and gives owners a reason to stay. That moment may not be far away.