2:00 Plumpton
The 2:00 at Plumpton is a Class 4 GBB Novices' Hurdle over 1m7f195y featuring a small but competitive field of five. KTB's Fit ratings identify Bankatary as the clear top pick on 64, with Bass Hunter on 56 and Merci Vieil Ami on 49 forming the principals, while the two outsiders sit at 47 and 39. The race sees runners stepping up or dropping in class, with several unproven on the ground and limited course experience overall.
How the race shapes up
A strong pace is anticipated given two or more habitual front-runners in the field. Bass Hunter and Anniversary both tend to make the running or race prominently, which sets up a test that could see the pace collapse late. This shape would favour hold-up horses such as Bankatary and Marnier, who produce their efforts from off the pace. The key question is whether the prominent pair can dictate matters or if the race will fall apart to the benefit of those ridden with patience.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1Bankatary KTB Selection64/100
Bankatary showed useful ability when winning on debut over this trip before a solid third on hurdling debut. He steps back up in distance today after his last run over 1m4f and that looks a sensible move. The yard and jockey both hold strong records at Plumpton, with the trainer recording a 30% strike rate and A/E 1.35 from 47 runs while the jockey posts 31% and A/E 1.58 from 49 rides. Usually held up and producing his effort late, he is well suited by the expected strong pace that could collapse. Stepping up in class having shown promise in recent form figures of 13-, he is the KTB Selection.
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2Bass Hunter56/100
Bass Hunter arrives off the back of a poor effort when last seen but had previously shown useful form with two wins from his first three starts. He drops back to a trip he has already won over and the yard and jockey both hold strong records around Plumpton, the trainer on 18% with A/E 1 from 662 runs and the jockey on 26% with A/E 1.18 from 90 rides. A front-runner who tends to make the running or race on the pace, he will be prominent in a race where the pace looks strong. Data confidence remains only medium with just four career runs on the board, though he drops in class having posted recent form figures of /1130-.
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3Merci Vieil Ami49/100
Merci Vieil Ami has shown very little so far, with a recent form string of UP-805 and no win or place from three starts. He was well held when fifth on his only previous run at Plumpton and is now dropping back in trip having failed to make an impact at this distance before. The trainer's modest 5% strike-rate at the track from a big sample of 428 runs is a negative while the jockey's 11% record here from 567 rides offers a bit more encouragement. Stepping up in class, he remains unproven on the ground with no course win or place to his name.
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4Marnier47/100
Marnier has a bit of form to go on from 14 runs but remains not fully exposed. The step up in trip looks a fresh question after last running over 1m4f, though he has already tried this distance twice without success. Trainer and jockey both have solid records at Plumpton while the going remains unproven, and he is held up to produce his effort late with high confidence in that run-style.
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5Anniversary39/100
Anniversary is a recent winner who has some history to go on but remains not fully exposed after 12 starts. Drops back in trip today having failed to score in four previous runs at this distance, while the ground is unknown. Trainer has only three runs at Plumpton which is too small a sample to judge and the jockey is 0-7 here, and he tends to make the running or race on the pace.
KTB verdict
Bankatary stands out as the KTB Selection. He showed useful ability on debut before a solid hurdling effort, and the return to this trip after a shorter run looks ideal, especially with the yard and jockey's excellent Plumpton records. The strong pace should suit his hold-up style as the race could collapse late. Bass Hunter is the most obvious danger if he can bounce back from a poor run, given his proven winning trip and the trainer-jockey combination's course strength, while Merci Vieil Ami rates third best of the principals despite his modest form.
KTB Selection Bankatary
Morning odds
Best available price per runner, captured 00:00 UTC, 19 Oct. These are a morning snapshot and will have moved — see the live racecard for current prices.
| Runner | Morning price | Bookmaker |
|---|---|---|
| Bankatary | 18/1 | Bet365 |
| Bass Hunter | 2/5 | LiveScore Bet |
| Merci Vieil Ami | 200/1 | 7Bet |
| Marnier | 9/1 | Bet365 |
| Anniversary | 4/1 | William Hill |
This is the narrative read of the 2:00 Plumpton. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Plumpton racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Plumpton results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Plumpton racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is stepping back up in distance after a run over 1m4f?
Bankatary steps back up in distance today after his last run over 1m4f.
Who are the two habitual front-runners in this race?
Bass Hunter and Anniversary both tend to make the running or race on the pace.
What is the trainer's strike rate at Plumpton for the yard of the KTB Selection?
James Owen has a 30% strike rate at Plumpton with an A/E of 1.35 from 47 runs.
Which runner has course form at Plumpton but no win or place?
Merci Vieil Ami ran once here, finishing 5th with no win or place.
Why does the race shape favour hold-up horses?
A strong pace is likely with two or more habitual front-runners and could collapse late, which would favour hold-up horses.
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About the A/E figures in this preview. They are the data supplier’s: the winners a trainer or jockey had, divided by the winners the starting prices implied, over the runs in that record. Above 1.0 means more wins than the prices suggested. It is not KTB’s fair A/E, which allows for the bookmakers’ margin and the favourite–longshot bias, and the two are not comparable.
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