Pellitory

The standout moment came at Newmarket on 17 April 2025, when Pellitory won a Class 2 race — one of the top tier races in Britain. O'Meara has spoken about how the day was circled on the calendar all season, a deliberate test to find out whether this horse was a decent handicapper or something rather better. Newmarket gave them the answer. Pellitory had done much of his preparation work alongside a stablemate called Wimbledon Hawkeye, and the trainer speaks about the pair in the same breath, clearly rating both highly. At 16.2 hands, Pellitory is a physically imposing horse, and O'Meara's view is that the team had been getting his best distance slightly wrong — running him over a mile when he is sharper over seven furlongs. That kind of tactical adjustment can unlock a horse entirely.

The recent form makes for slightly mixed reading — he has not won in his last 6 races, with finishing positions of 16th, 13th, 5th, 5th, 8th, and 7th across that run. But context matters here. He competes at Class 2 level, which is deep water, and has won 1 from 6 races at that level — a 17% win rate, which is actually respectable company. O'Meara's yard has sent out 107 winners this season alone, so this is not a team that quietly accepts underperformance. Pellitory raced just yesterday and remains in active training.

What makes this horse genuinely worth following is what the trainer said after Newmarket: Pellitory holds an entry in the French Guineas, one of the most prestigious races in Europe for horses of his generation. Whether that comes to anything remains to be seen, but the fact it is even being mentioned tells you the yard believes there is a good deal more to come from a horse who, on his best day, has already shown he can beat some of the best around.