Pal Joey
Pal Joey has tasted the winner's enclosure just twice in eighteen races, but those victories tell a story worth paying attention to. The 4-year-old has won 2 of 7 races in lower-level Class 5 competition—a 29% win rate at that grade—which suggests the horse belongs at this level and can be competitive when conditions suit. Both wins came over distances between 5 and 6½ furlongs, and across that sweet spot Pal Joey has managed 2 wins from 12 attempts, roughly one victory in every six races.Based on TrackLab's analysis
Owner
Toni Marley And John Murray
📊 Key numbers
Career totals for this horse
🔍 Full analysis
Our model's view, based on this horse's career and recent runs
The trouble is timing. Last summer Pal Joey broke through at Haydock Park, then found another win at Newcastle in January of this year—six months ago now. Since then, nothing. The last six races have yielded two eighth-place finishes and nothing better than a fifth, a pattern that would rattle any owner or trainer. Yet Pal Joey remains in work under Ben Haslam's Middleham Moor yard in Yorkshire, a stable that has sent out 35 winners this season and knows how to train horses within their limits. The horse raced just yesterday, so the yard clearly still believe there is a race to be won. At 11% career wins from 18 races, Pal Joey is a modest proposition—not a bargain, not a star—but at Class 5 over its favoured distance, there is enough evidence of ability to suggest it will win again, perhaps sooner than the current form suggests.
⚡ Strengths and risks
What helps this horse and what to watch out for
✓ What works in their favour
✔ Excellent record on standard ground: 1 wins from 4 starts (25%)
✔ Well suited by 5f – 6½f distances: 17% win rate
🎯 Where this horse runs best
Results split by ground, distance, race level and track shape
🌧 Ground
Standard (all-weather)
Loves
Good (a little give)
Likes
Good to soft (some give)
Unknown
Good to firm (fairly firm)
Unknown
Standard to slow (all-weather)
Unknown
🏅 Race level
Class 2 (high-level)
Unknown
Class 4 (standard)
Avoids
Class 5 (entry-level)
Loves
🏟 Track shape
Left-handed, long straights
Likes
Right-handed, hilly
Unknown
Right-handed, tight turns
Avoids
📅 Recent runs
The last 10 races, most recent first
10 Aug
8th
Ayr
7f – 1m · Good_To_Soft · 13 runners
25 Jul
8th
Newcastle
1m1f – 1m2f · 14 runners
16 Jun
9th
Thirsk
5f – 6½f · Good · 10 runners
10 Jun
5th
Hamilton Park
5f – 6½f · Good_To_Soft · 7 runners
17 May
10th
Hamilton Park
5f – 6½f · Good · 15 runners
18 Apr
16th
Thirsk
5f – 6½f · Good · 18 runners
6 Feb
7th
Newcastle
5f – 6½f · Standard · 11 runners
31 Jan
🏆 Won
Newcastle
5f – 6½f · Standard · 10 runners
19 Dec
7th
Newcastle
5f – 6½f · Standard · 12 runners
22 Nov
5th
Newcastle
5f – 6½f · Standard · 11 runners
🏇 Jockeys
Every jockey who has ridden this horse, most rides first
🏟 Course record
Win rate at each course this horse has visited
| Course | Races | Results | Last run | Win rate |
|---|
| Newcastle Galloping |
6 |
1 win, 5 other |
25 Jul |
16.7% |
| Carlisle Undulating |
2 |
2 other |
1 Sep |
0% |
| Hamilton Park Sharp |
2 |
2 other |
10 Jun |
0% |
| Thirsk Galloping |
2 |
2 other |
16 Jun |
0% |
| Haydock Park Galloping |
1 |
1 win |
18 Jul |
100% |
| York Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
10 Oct |
0% |
| Redcar Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
16 Sep |
0% |
| Ayr Galloping |
1 |
1 other |
10 Aug |
0% |
| Ripon Sharp |
1 |
1 other |
18 Jun |
0% |
| Doncaster Galloping |
1 |
1 third |
7 Jun |
0% |