Thomas Patrick McGettigan

The most notable thread running through his early career is his partnership with Nelliestar, who has been out five times under McGettigan's care without winning. That one horse accounting for five of his seven runners tells you something about the size of the operation right now — this is a small, tightly focused yard, not a factory turning out dozens of runners a week. Getting a single horse fit, entered, and competitive five times in a short space of time actually represents a decent amount of work, even if the winners have not come yet.

Zero from seven is not a crisis — it is just the reality of learning a trade in public. Every successful trainer in Britain started somewhere, and most of them had lean early spells too. The first winner, when it comes, will mean more than most.