Baileys Khelstar

The recent form is particularly eye-catching. Over the last six races, Baileys Khelstar has finished 1-1-2-2-4-2 — two wins, three seconds, and only one race where it dropped out of contention. That sequence is the form of a horse in the best shape of its life. The most recent of those wins came at Kempton Park just this week, which means this horse is live and current right now, not coasting on past glories.

What makes that Kempton win especially interesting is the context of where Baileys Khelstar usually competes. The horse has run five times at the lower end of the racing ladder and drawn a blank every time — zero wins from five attempts at that level. Yet step it up to better company and it delivers. That's not a contradiction, it's a clue: some horses need a genuine challenge to raise their game, and this one looks like it might be exactly that kind of competitor.

In the saddle, Joe Fanning has been the regular partner, riding Baileys Khelstar seven times and winning twice — a win rate of 29%, or just under 1 in every 3 races together. That's a strong return and suggests a combination that works. Behind the scenes, the horse is trained by Charlie Johnston at Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire, part of a yard that has sent out 131 winners already this season. That is a seriously productive operation, and a horse in form like this one is exactly the kind they know how to keep ticking over.

Baileys Khelstar first won at Beverley back in July 2023 and has now added four more since. With two wins from the last six races and a victory recorded just days ago, this is a horse firmly in the moment — and one worth paying attention to.