Bertie's Ballet

The headline on Bertie's Ballet's CV is a Class 2 win at Kelso in March 2023, which is one of the top races in Britain and represents genuine quality. That kind of result sticks out. It is the difference between a decent, reliable horse and one that has proved it can mix it at the highest level on its day. Equally interesting is the Haydock Park record: 2 wins from just 5 races there, which means Bertie's Ballet has won 40% of the time at that track — an extraordinary figure. For context, most horses win at a tiny fraction of the courses they visit. Finding a track that suits you like that is rare, and it suggests something about the way Haydock's layout or ground plays to this horse's particular strengths. The most recent of those Haydock wins came in January 2025, just 15 months ago.

The concern right now is that Bertie's Ballet has gone 6 races without a win, with a run of results that includes a couple of near-misses and some disappointing finishes. It raced just one day ago, so it is clearly still active and being kept busy. Trainer Dianne Sayer, based in Cumbria, has sent out 15 winners this season, which shows the yard is in good form — the horses are running well, even if Bertie's Ballet is waiting for its moment. The combination with jockey Conor O'Farrell also gives reason for optimism: the pair have won 2 from 6 races together, which is 1 in every 3 — a noticeably better ratio than Bertie's Ballet manages overall.

If there is a blueprint for getting this horse back to winning, it probably involves Haydock, a distance of a mile and six furlongs to two miles, and Conor O'Farrell in the saddle. Put those three things together and history suggests the odds shorten considerably.