Bulletin

Those two wins are worth noting for what they reveal about where Bulletin is heading. The first came at Southwell in April 2025, and the second at Kempton Park in August — both tracks with artificial surfaces that tend to suit horses who travel smoothly through a race. Since that Kempton win, though, Bulletin has gone six races without winning, posting a string of third and fourth-place finishes. The effort is there; the finishing kick has not quite materialised.

Portman, whose yard has sent out 46 winners this season, is clearly patient with this one and believes there is more to come. He described Bulletin as a slow-maturing type who still has scope to improve — essentially a horse whose body is catching up with its ability. Portman has pointed to trips of a mile and a quarter to a mile and a half as the sweet spot, and thinks softer, wetter ground will suit. That combination of extra distance and ease underfoot may yet unlock something. A promising run at Glorious Goodwood, where Bulletin finished third in stronger company, suggests the talent is there when the conditions are right.

Rob Hornby, who has partnered Bulletin in 11 of its 17 races, has been aboard for both wins — a win rate of 18% together, or roughly 1 in every 5 rides. That continuity of jockey and trainer matters: Hornby knows this horse, and Portman clearly trusts him to get the best from it. Bulletin is still racing — it ran just yesterday — and with a patient handler, a jockey who knows it well, and conditions it hasn't fully been tested under yet, this is a horse whose story may not be close to finished.