House move has not halted rapid rise up the ladder

When David O'Meara moved into Willows Farm, near York, in January 2016, he may have been expecting to suffer teething troubles of the type that routinely afflict relocating trainers. If so, he would have been pleasantly surprised by the ease with which he settled in at his new home.

"We've been in the yard just over a year and in that year we've had over 100 winners, an Arlington Million with Mondialiste, a Lincoln with Bravery, and second in a July Cup with Suedois, so I'd have to say we're very happy with the way things are working out," says the talented Irishman in his understated manner. "It's not quite the way we want it yet, and we're still building and developing, but it won't be long."

The former jump jockey has made huge strides in the seven years he's been training, with successes at the top level from Paris to Chicago, and this season's team shows no sign of reversing that upward trend.