El Rio

Trained by Kim Bailey and Mat Nicholls at Cheltenham, El Rio won most recently at Kempton Park on 7 February 2025, but that was 20 months ago — a long gap that suggests he has been grinding through lesser races without results. When he does get into Class 3 races, his true level, he is a different horse: three wins from seven starts, a 43% rate that shows he belongs there. Outside that grade, he struggles. His usual jockey is David Bass, though they have only managed one win together across five rides.

The highlight of his career came early, when he broke his duck at Ascot on 2 April 2023. Since then, the wins have dried up. His last six races have yielded just one victory, with a run of three third-place finishes in the middle of that sequence. He is still racing — he was out just a day ago — which suggests his the yard believe there is still something left in the tank, but at this stage of his life, El Rio is a horse that will keep his supporters hopeful rather than confident.