The headline achievement is his record at the very top level. Bethell has won four Class 1 races — the elite tier of British racing — in just four years, with victories at Haydock Park, Pontefract, and most recently Redcar in October 2025. For context, plenty of trainers spend entire careers without winning one. To have four, across three different venues, at this stage of a career, speaks to a yard that can genuinely compete with the best.
There are some specific patterns worth noticing. At Hamilton Park, Bethell has turned out 5 winners from just 17 runners — that is almost 1 in every 3 races, a phenomenal return at one track. On wet or muddy ground, he wins roughly 1 in every 5 races (5 from 24), suggesting his horses are prepared to handle testing conditions better than most. If the heavens open on raceday and Bethell has a runner, that is worth knowing.
His most trusted ally in the saddle is jockey Callum Rodriguez, and the numbers back up what is clearly a productive working relationship. Rodriguez has ridden 197 times for Bethell, producing 32 winners — that is 1 win in every 6 rides, a win rate of 16% that edges above Bethell's overall yard average. When the same trainer and jockey combination keeps clicking at that level over nearly 200 attempts, it usually means they understand each other's instincts.
The one small note of caution is that Bethell's win rate has dipped from 19% last year to 14% this season. That could simply mean a slightly less exceptional crop of horses this year, or the natural variance that comes with racing. Either way, a 14% win rate — 61 winners from 441 runners — still places him comfortably among the more effective trainers in the country. Four years in, the trajectory is pointing firmly upward.
| Course | Races | Wins | Win rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newcastle | 66 | 8 | 12.1% |
| Southwell | 46 | 10 | 21.7% |
| Wolverhampton | 33 | 4 | 12.1% |
| Haydock Park | 27 | 3 | 11.1% |
| Redcar | 24 | 5 | 20.8% |
| York | 24 | 0 | 0% |
| Doncaster | 23 | 2 | 8.7% |
| Thirsk | 20 | 1 | 5% |
| Hamilton Park | 17 | 5 | 29.4% |
| Nottingham | 16 | 4 | 25% |
| Catterick Bridge | 16 | 3 | 18.8% |
| Pontefract | 16 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Musselburgh | 16 | 2 | 12.5% |
| Beverley | 13 | 2 | 15.4% |
| Carlisle | 12 | 0 | 0% |
| Ripon | 11 | 1 | 9.1% |
| Ascot | 10 | 0 | 0% |
| Leicester | 8 | 1 | 12.5% |
| Chester | 6 | 0 | 0% |
| Lingfield Park | 5 | 1 | 20% |
| chelmsford | 4 | 2 | 50% |
| Goodwood | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Wetherby | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Kempton Park | 4 | 1 | 25% |
| Ayr | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Newmarket | 4 | 0 | 0% |
| Newbury | 3 | 1 | 33.3% |
| Windsor | 2 | 0 | 0% |
| Bath | 1 | 1 | 100% |
| Great Yarmouth | 1 | 0 | 0% |
| The Curragh | 1 | 0 | 0% |