Bellasio

That one win came at Carlisle in June 2025, and it matters. Carlisle is a genuine test of a horse's character — an undulating track that sorts out horses with heart from those that find reasons to lose — and Bellasio got the job done there. The problem is it was nearly a year ago now, and he has been off the track for roughly nine months since. A long absence like that always raises questions, but Tuer is bullish about what he is bringing back. He describes Bellasio as having returned in great form and believes the horse has 10lb in hand — meaning, in plain terms, that the official weight he carries in races underestimates how good he actually is. That is a meaningful claim if it is right.

The key ingredient, according to Tuer, is wet or muddy ground. Bellasio has spent the summer on a deliberate break, waiting for the autumn when conditions soften up. That is a trainer backing his own judgement rather than just running a horse wherever a race comes up — and with 26 winners sent out from the yard this season, Tuer's judgement carries weight. Regular jockey Oliver Stammers has been aboard for six of Bellasio's races together, winning once, roughly 1 in every 6 rides — a modest return, but the form figures suggest they have been going close far more often than the winner's column shows.

At a distance between seven furlongs and a mile, Bellasio has won 1 from 5 races, his best strike zone. The plan now is an autumn campaign running into all-weather racing once the turf season winds down. For a horse that keeps finishing second, the question is whether a combination of the right ground, the right trip, and nearly a year's freshness can finally turn those frustrating near-misses into another winner's enclosure moment.