King Of The Jungle

The six-year-old is trained by the father-and-son team of Michael and David Easterby at their yard in Sheriff Hutton, North Yorkshire, a operation clearly in decent health right now with 55 winners already on the board this season. His most regular partner in the saddle is Lewis Chalkley, who has ridden him in 10 of his races and won once together — a 10% win rate, so about 1 in every 10 rides has ended in victory. That's not a sparkling partnership on paper, but they clearly know each other well by now.

What the recent form reveals is a horse that's had a long wait since his last winning moment. That came at Thirsk back in September 2024 — over 20 months ago now — and in the six races since, the best he's managed is a second place. His last six results read 10th, 5th, 2nd, 6th, 3rd, 4th. There's a horse in there that's clearly competing and placing, but the win keeps slipping away. Whether that's a question of class, conditions, or just bad luck on a few close days, it's the central puzzle of his current form.

He raced just yesterday, which means he's being kept busy and the team clearly thinks there's a race to be won somewhere. His first career win came at Newcastle in December 2023, and his four wins from 28 races at Class 6 level — roughly 1 in every 7 — represent his sweet spot. The name suggests something majestic; the form book suggests something more workmanlike. But in racing, showing up and competing honestly week after week has its own kind of value.