Kempton was a happy hunting ground for Charlie Appleby in 2023. The Newmarket-based trainer had 16 winners from his 46 runners, giving him a 35 per cent strike-rate. It’s hard to maintain that sort of strike-rate over the course of a year and it’s quite the achievement. The King returns on Wednesday and he’s set to have his first runner at the track in 2024, which makes the horse in question an interesting proposition. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
El Cordobes is a typically well bred son of Frankel and his full and half siblings have won four races between them. One of those placed in a course and distance Listed race, whilst the other got off the mark here in September. This information provides some particularly positive omens for El Cordobes’ chances here and he should be capable of following suit.
Making his debut over course and distance last month, he shaped as if he would improve for the run. He’s entitled to do so, as it was his first start and he would have learnt plenty from the experience. Significant improvement could be on the cards this time around and he has a better draw here.
James Doyle is set to take the ride and this trainer and jockey combination has been very successful in the past. Their strike-rate is a very substantial 39 per cent when joining forces at Kempton and another winner shouldn’t be ruled out.
There are a few interesting newcomers which should provide strong competition here. The Crisford’s €260,000 Frankel colt Ghostlore and Roger Varian’s West Hollywood are the standouts. Neither of those cost as much as this 2,000,000 guineas purchase and on price tag alone, he should be capable of getting his head in front here.
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