Betsen

That second win is what demands attention. On 26 November 2025, Betsen won a Class 2 race at Southwell — one of the top races in Britain — which is a serious level of achievement for a horse whose record might otherwise invite a shrug. Plenty of horses race their whole lives without winning at that grade. It suggests there is genuine ability in there, even if getting it out consistently has proven difficult.

The relationship with jockey James Ryan is one of the more puzzling subplots. The two have been paired up eight times without a win between them — 0 from 8 — which is a run of blanks that will not have gone unnoticed in the yard. Whether that partnership continues is worth watching.

Betsen is trained by Tony Carroll, based in Cropthorne, Worcestershire, and the operation is clearly in fine health this season — 136 winners sent out is a serious body of work for any yard. That kind of volume suggests a trainer who knows how to place horses in the right races at the right time. Betsen's Class 2 win at Southwell looks exactly like that sort of patient placement paying off.

The recent form figures — finishing ninth, thirteenth, seventh, fourth, third, and fourth across the last six runs — tell a story of a horse hovering just outside the places rather than threatening to win. It has been five months since that Southwell success, and nothing since has come close. Still, Betsen raced just one day ago, which means this is a horse that remains active and in the mix. Whether it can recapture that November form is the question worth asking — because when the conditions are right, the ability is clearly there.