Wilf Storey

His most reliable ally in the saddle is jockey Paula Muir, who has ridden for the yard more than anyone else. Between them they have produced 3 wins from 27 races together, which works out at about 1 in every 9 rides — broadly in line with the yard's overall form, but the volume of the partnership suggests a real working relationship rather than the occasional booking. When a trainer keeps coming back to the same jockey, it usually means there is genuine trust on both sides.

One partnership that has yet to click is with a horse called Fuel The Fire. Four races together and no wins so far — which is not a disaster in itself, but it does stand out when you are looking for green shoots in a quieter season. Whether that changes depends on finding the right race and the right conditions.

On that note, Storey does show a small but real preference for normal ground, where his horses have won 1 from 6 races — about 1 in every 6, or 17%. That is above his seasonal average, and while six races is too small a sample to draw firm conclusions, it is the kind of detail that starts to mean something when you see it repeated over time.

Four years in, Storey is still a trainer finding his ceiling. The dip this season from 18% to 10% is the most pressing question around his yard right now — whether it is a blip caused by a tricky batch of horses or something that needs addressing in how the team is operating. Trainers go through lean spells; the good ones come out the other side having learned something. The next few months will tell us quite a lot about which kind Storey turns out to be.