Pilgrim’s King is the only conceivable rival to long odds-on chance Mayhem Mya in a ten-runner Novices’ Hurdle over two miles of ‘soft’ Chepstow this afternoon and indeed represents a decent each-way alternative; I spent considerable time on this race which contains a clutch of no-hopers but the Peter Bowen-trained six-year-old Sholokhov gelding isn’t one them.
Digging often unearths a jewel and though the value of Pilgrim’s King is obviously questionable I’m convinced he’s much better than form figures suggest; completely ignore his latest effort when beaten SIXTY-FIVE LENGTHS over course and distance eleven days ago on a desperately ‘heavy’ surface, James Bowen virtually pulled him up.
There can’t be anything wrong with Pilgrim’s King because the racing family Bowen wouldn’t be persevering with a lost cause. Let’s consider the previous hurdling debut three weeks earlier when a promising fourth to odds-on Fine Casting around ‘soft’ Ffos Las.
Given Pilgrim’s King achieved a half-decent mark and was in contention two out, on the back of three ‘bumper’ efforts last year, there is no way he’ll be out of the frame (at huge odds!) unless he falls.
Mayhem Mya has ‘won now’ as they say but none of the others is capable of troubling this dual-winning ‘bumper’ winner to the slightest degree and Pilgrim’s King rates a solid inclusion in my each-way trixie.
I’m looking forward to this opener and the Maiden Hurdle over two and a half miles an hour later when Chris Gordon’s One For The Wall is strongly-fancied to make it time lucky under stable jockey Tom Cannon who replaces Jamie Moore on this Plumpton runner-up eleven weeks ago.
A twelve lengths defeat by 2/9 chance Royal Pretender should not deter you from supporting this Yeats gelding which was twenty-three lengths clear of the third; One For The Wall has apparently thrived since and is worth backing, and following!
Gordon is a trainer we respect immensely and I’ll be closely monitoring his in-form yard in the next ten weeks.
On a six-race ‘soft’ Fakenham programme five handicaps are a turn-off but the concluding nine-runner Mares’ National Hunt ‘bumper’ over two miles represents a gilt-edged opportunity for Isle Of Rona to go one better. If this gets beaten…!
Any AWR fancies on Wolverhampton tapeta will be posted on my @ossracing1 twitter account. Put it in your notebook and benefit from tremendous professional up-to-date information.
There is only one way to win betting horses, with good-priced, speculative selections. I’ve proved it so often.
Selections, Chepstow, 12.30 Pilgrim’s King (e.w); 1.30 One For The Wall (e.w); Fakenham 3.55 Isle Of Rona (e.w).
Jeffrey Ross, horse-racing correspondent for WMN since 1983 when winning the most prestigious racing journalist award, Sporting Life Naps Table, before winning it a record number of six times collectively in the Racing Post, the current ‘trade’ paper, including 2019