Pal Joey

Both wins have come at the level where Pal Joey belongs: the Class 5 tier, which is the bread-and-butter layer of British racing, and at that level the horse has won 2 from 7 — nearly 1 in 3. That is a genuinely strong conversion rate for its grade. It means when conditions are right and the competition is pitched correctly, Pal Joey is a real threat rather than a passenger. The first win came at Haydock Park in July 2025, followed by a second at Newcastle in January 2026. Two different tracks, different conditions, different times of year — that suggests a horse that is consistent rather than a one-trick pony relying on a single sweet spot.

The recent form reads 10-16-7-1-7-5 (most recent first), which means Pal Joey has been beaten quite comfortably in its last two outings after that Newcastle win four months ago. The 16th and 10th places are harder to explain away. It is possible the horse has been pitched into slightly tougher company, or simply had an off patch — but without knowing more, the honest read is that it has not been firing since January. Worth noting, though, that it raced just yesterday, so the team clearly believes there is something worth running for.

The trainer is Ben Haslam, who operates out of Middleham Moor in North Yorkshire — one of British racing's most storied training centres, home to stables that have been producing racehorses for centuries. Haslam has sent out 35 winners this season, which marks him out as a trainer in productive form right now. A yard that busy tends to know when its horses are ready to run, so the fact that Pal Joey is being kept active is probably a good sign for whoever is keeping an eye on this one.