Belsito

The broader career numbers tell the story of a horse operating at the grittier end of the sport — Class 5 races, which sit near the bottom of the British racing pyramid, make up the bulk of Belsito's appearances. At that level, it has won 2 from 16, or about 1 in every 8, which is honest enough without being spectacular. But zoom in on the conditions and things get more interesting. On wet or muddy ground, Belsito has won 2 of 5 races — that is 40%, which is a remarkable figure by any measure. On slightly softer ground, it is 2 from 8, or 25%. This is a horse that clearly finds an extra gear when the rain comes, which is not a bad trait to have in the north of England.

Jockey Tom Eaves has been the regular partner, riding in 18 of the horse's 27 races together and winning 2 of them — about 1 in every 9. That is a functional rather than electric partnership, but Eaves clearly knows this horse well. The trainer behind the operation is Kevin Ryan, whose yard at Hambleton in North Yorkshire has sent out 45 winners this season alone — a serious output that marks Ryan out as one of the more productive handlers in the north.

Recent form has taken a promising turn. After a quiet run of results, Belsito has won twice in its last 6 races, finishing first in two of those and picking up a place in another. It last raced just yesterday, which means this is a horse in the middle of an active campaign rather than one being carefully unwrapped for a single target. Given how well it handles wet ground, and given what it tends to do when it returns to Hamilton Park, it is a horse worth keeping an eye on whenever the forecast turns grey.