Bellasio

The key to unlocking him, it turns out, is Carlisle. On that track in the north of England, Bellasio has an almost freakish record: 2 wins from just 5 races. That might not sound extraordinary in isolation, but consider that he has won precisely zero races from 6 attempts at Class 5 level — the most common grade he runs in — and suddenly those two Carlisle wins look like something more than coincidence. Carlisle seems to suit him in a way other tracks simply don't. His first win there came in June 2025, and he followed it up with another victory at the same track this week, confirming the pattern rather than flukeing it.

Recent form tells its own story. Reading his last six runs from most recent back — a win, a second, two fifths, a sixth, and a second — you can see a horse that lost its way briefly in the middle of that sequence and has now come sharply back to form. Tuer has spoken about wet or muddy ground being pretty much essential for Bellasio to show his best, which explains a planned summer break and a campaign timed to catch softer autumn conditions. The trainer also mentioned that Bellasio carries what he believes is around 10 pounds of unexploited ability relative to his current rating — in plain terms, the horse is competing at a level that slightly underestimates him, which is exactly where you want to be.

His regular jockey Oliver Stammers has been aboard for 8 of his 15 races, winning once together — a 12% win rate, or roughly 1 in every 8 rides. That modest number may flatter what is actually a productive partnership given how often this horse has finished second rather than first. With another win on the board just days ago, Bellasio heads into the autumn in the form of his life.