Michael Bell

The clearest evidence of that quality came at the sport's biggest venues. Bell has won two top-level races in his career — the kind that sit at the very top of British racing — one at Ascot in April 2025 and one at Newmarket in October 2025. Those are not tracks that forgive mediocrity. Ascot and Newmarket are where the best horses in the country turn up, and winning there at the highest level marks Bell out as a trainer operating well above the day-to-day grind of the sport.

Away from the glamour tracks, Bell has found a reliable hunting ground at Wolverhampton, an all-weather venue that runs through the darker months when many yards are ticking over rather than firing. His record there — 7 winners from 24 runners, meaning he wins with nearly 1 in every 3 horses he sends — suggests he understands exactly what kind of horse thrives on that surface and gets them there in the right shape.

His most consistent working relationship is with jockey Hector Crouch. The two have combined for 21 wins from 72 rides together, a win rate of roughly 1 in every 3 and a half — the sort of number that tells you they are not just crossing paths occasionally but operating as a genuine partnership, with Bell knowing when to call Crouch and Crouch knowing how the horses from this yard are meant to be ridden. Within the string, the horse Tralee Girl has been a particular bright spot, winning 3 of the 8 races she and Bell have tackled together.

Still only four years into the job, Bell is a trainer who has already won at the top table and shown he can identify course specialists, build jockey partnerships, and keep winners coming consistently. The slight dip this season is a footnote, not a story.