Pellitory picks up nice Newmarket prize – and set for bigger things

Pellitory went into the bet365 EBF Conditions Stakes at Newmarket as the outsider of six – yet emerged as a potential French 2000 Guineas or Royal Ascot candidate, as James Owen looks to split his aces.

Owned like Owen’s smart three-year-old Wimbledon Hawkeye by the Gredley family, the two colts are work companions.

Yet while Wimbledon Hawkeye won the Royal Lodge and finished second in the Craven Stakes, Pellitory had earned a rating of 87 in five runs at two, some way shy of Charlie Appleby’s Anno Domini’s 103, whom he was racing against off level weights at Headquarters.

A son of Sergei Prokofiev, Pellitory made a mockery of his 25-1 odds, coming from last to first under Harry Davies and holding off the Godolphin horse by half a length.

“He’s a lovely horse. We thought a lot of him last year and he won twice as two-year-old,” said Owen.

“He is a big horse and was always filling his frame. He’s always worked with Wimbledon Hawkeye and we never thought there was much between them, but he just never quite put it together as we thought he would.

“He’s developed fantastically well over the winter, and it shows what we thought of him as he’s got a French Guineas entry so that’s an option – or we could come back here for a Listed race and then look at the Jersey (at the Royal meeting).

“He’s a lovely horse, not just for this year but the years ahead. He was very well bought by Tim Gredley and it’s lovely to have a winner at the Craven meeting. On the whole they’ve run well this week, but it is very hard to win on home turf.

“He’ll get a mile, that was slowly run today, he’s always been a bit eager out of the stalls and he was a bit keen in the first furlong today, but he’ll get a mile no problem now – he’s an exciting horse.”

Pellitory was given a 16-1 quote for the French Guineas by Paddy Power, while stablemate Wimbledon Hawkeye will take on Craven winner Field Of Gold again in the Newmarket Guineas in just over a fortnight, with the Derby his big aim.

“He’s come out of it great and on reflection we’ll be coming back for the Guineas,” said Owen.

“He’s a horse that is always going to improve for a step up in trip and the Derby is the main aim, but if we can come back for the Guineas, why not? He’s by far our best horse and he should be running in the best races, I think he’s got huge talent.

“The winner of the Craven looked exceptional and will probably improve, but hopefully there’s not too many more and we are still in the mix.

“The Guineas is usually the best Derby trial, he’ll come on a good bit for the run, he improved with racing last year and it’s just a great Derby trial.”