YOU sense that Aidan O’Brien has made a fast start to the season, that his horses are more forward at this time this year than they usually are and that is backed up by the statistics.

With one week still to go in April, O’Brien has had 18 winners from 54 runners in Ireland. That’s a strike rate of 33%, for a net level-stakes profit of €33.29. Last April, for the entire month, he had 11 winners from 53 runners (21%) for a level-stakes loss of €8.46, while in 2014 he had nine winners from 43 runners (21%) for a level-stakes loss of €12.13.

Indeed, this is the only April in the last five years in which the champion trainer has shown a level-stakes profit.

Other trainers have had impressive Aprils so far. Johnny Levins had no winners from 16 runners in April last year, but this year, he has built on his good start to the calendar year, bagging two wins – Mr Right at the Curragh and Shukhov at Dundalk – from just nine runs this month for a level-stakes profit of €5.90.

Damian English has got the season off to a flyer, Bluesbreaker’s win at Tipperary on Thursday evening his third winner of the month and his seventh of the calendar year for a level-stakes profit of €47.25 for 2016, while Jet Setting’s win in the Group 3 1000 Guineas Trial at Leopardstown two weeks ago is an obvious highlight of the season so far for Adrian Keatley, who is two for 15 in April for a level-stakes profit of €8.50.

And Bangor trainer Clare Louise Cannon has sent out Coreczka to win three times now at Dundalk, giving her three wins from just four runs in March and April for a level-stakes profit of €16.00.