Cotai Belle

The most telling part of Cotai Belle's record is how it is structured. The first win came at Wetherby in June 2025, and then just over a month later, the horse backed it up with another victory at Haydock Park in July. Back-to-back wins at two different tracks suggests a horse that had genuinely found its confidence rather than got lucky once. Since then, however, the form figures read 8-9-21 in the three most recent races — finishing well down the field each time. That is a sharp contrast to the purple patch before it, and it raises a natural question about whether the horse has been stepped up in class too quickly or simply had a rough run of races.

That suspicion gets some support from the class record. Cotai Belle has run three times at Class 2 level — some of the better races in Britain — and has yet to win at that grade. Being competitive at Class 2 demands a step up in quality, and the results so far suggest the horse is still finding its level rather than dominating it. That is not a criticism, it is just the reality of a young horse being tested against stronger fields.

Cotai Belle is trained by Richard and Peter Fahey at Musley Bank in North Yorkshire, a yard that has sent out 2 winners so far this season. The Faheys are experienced handlers who know how to place a horse, and the fact that Cotai Belle raced as recently as yesterday means this is a very live, active campaign still very much in motion. Whether the next run brings a return to the winning form of June and July, or another tough afternoon against classier rivals, is the question worth watching.