Dino Bellagio

He is trained by Donald McCain at Cholmondeley in Cheshire — a yard that has been in fine form this season, sending out 55 winners. McCain is no stranger to big occasions, and the volume of winners this season suggests a confident, well-organised operation. Dino Bellagio's most regular partner has been Brian Hughes, one of the leading northern jockeys, though their record together reads 1 win from 6 races — roughly 1 in 6 — which is modest by Hughes's usual standards.

What makes the horse genuinely interesting right now is the timing of his return. He last raced 173 days ago — roughly five months — and that most recent win came at Chester in September 2025. His last six runs tell a promising story: wins in two of them, and only one really poor finish (that eighth place). The sequence reads 8-1-3-4-1-3, and the key number there is the two 1s. Horses that bookend a recent patch with wins tend to come back from breaks with something to prove and the ability to prove it.

Five months off is a proper rest, not just a quiet few weeks, and how a horse returns from that kind of break is always the question. With Donald McCain's yard firing on all cylinders and Brian Hughes likely to be back in the saddle, there is enough in Dino Bellagio's recent record to make him one worth watching. He is not a horse that sets pulses racing on paper, but horses that win 4 from 18 and keep placing regularly are rarely far from finding another opportunity — and Chester, where he last won, suited him well.