2:53 Pontefract
The 2:53 at Pontefract is the British Stallion Studs Ebf Silver Tankard Stakes, a Listed race for two-year-olds over 1m and 6 yards on good to soft ground. A field of eight lines up, with four principals separated by only four KTB Fit points at the top of the card. KTB rates King High and Tyrrhenian Thunder joint-top on 61, followed by Undiscovered on 59 and Kodiac City on 57, suggesting a competitive renewal where lightly-raced types with scope carry the strongest claims.
How the race shapes up
The pace shape is tentative with only medium confidence. Mary Doll is the only confirmed front-runner on limited evidence and could be allowed an easy lead. Most of the principals, including King High, Undiscovered, Kodiac City and Palace Legacy, are held-up types who produce their effort late, while Silverella tends to settle in midfield. The key question is whether the race will develop enough pace for the closers to be delivered effectively or whether the leader can steal it on a track where the pace read remains uncertain.
The KTB Fit ranking
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1King High KTB Selection61/100
King High is a useful performer who has already won over today's trip on his second start. His recent form figures of 412 show solid placed efforts either side of that victory and he remains lightly raced with only three outings. The Owen Burrows yard strikes at 10% at Pontefract with an A/E of 0.6 from 10 runs while Cieren Fallon boasts a 29% strike rate at the track with an A/E of 1.19 from 24 rides. He is stepping up in class having shown useful form already, though he is unproven on good to soft and has no course form on record. His run-style is held up, usually producing his effort late on limited evidence with low confidence. KTB rates him top on a Fit score of 61 and he is the selection.
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2Tyrrhenian Thunder61/100
Tyrrhenian Thunder made a winning debut over 7f and now steps up to an untested 1m, which poses a fresh question. The yard has a solid 18% strike rate from 45 runs at Pontefract with an A/E of 1.32 while the jockey has a 75% strike rate at the track from a small sample of four rides with an A/E of 2.55. He is stepping up in class with only one run on the board and a very small sample for both jockey and going, so the form has to be treated with caution. He is unproven on good to soft and has no course form on record. KTB rates him joint-top on a Fit score of 61 alongside the selection.
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3Undiscovered59/100
Undiscovered is a useful performer who has already shown strong form in better company than this. The step up from 7f to 1m looks a logical move and the yard's 27% strike-rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 1.08 from 134 runs plus Rossa Ryan's 25% record here with an A/E of 1.02 from 72 rides add plenty of encouragement. He has an official rating of 96, recent form figures of 11655 and is held up, usually producing his effort late with medium confidence. Going remains unknown with only one run on good to soft that brought no win or place and he has no course form on record. KTB rates him a clear third on a Fit score of 59.
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4Kodiac City57/100
Kodiac City is a useful performer who has already won at this trip and showed fair form when third in a listed race last time. He is lightly raced with scope to improve further but has to bounce back from a below-par effort at York. The trainer has a solid 21% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 1.18 from 19 runs while the jockey's record is more modest at 9% with an A/E of 0.82 from 574 rides. He holds an official rating of 90, has recent form figures of 163, is stepping up in class and is held up, usually producing his effort late with medium confidence. He has one run on good to soft that brought no win or place and has no course form on record. KTB rates him fourth on a Fit score of 57.
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5Silverella55/100
Silverella has won both starts at this trip including a course success on good to soft at Pontefract. The filly is a fair performer who looks open to more improvement with only three runs behind her. She has an official rating of 85, recent form figures of 511, is stepping up in class and typically settles in midfield on limited evidence with low confidence. The trainer has a 16% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 0.83 from 64 runs while the jockey has a 20% strike rate with an A/E of 1.26 from 40 rides. KTB rates her fifth on a Fit score of 55.
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6Game Character49/100
Game Character is a fair 2-year-old who has shown steady improvement, finishing third then first at this trip in his last two starts. He has the right sort of form for a Class 1 but still looks short of the very best at this level. He has an official rating of 89, recent form figures of 531, is stepping up in class and is held up, usually producing his effort late with medium confidence. The trainer has a 9% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 0.49 from 55 runs while the jockey has a 10% strike rate with an A/E of 0.64 from 50 rides. The going remains an unknown on only one run on good to soft that brought no win or place and he has no course form on record. KTB rates him sixth on a Fit score of 49.
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7Mary Doll43/100
Mary Doll won her only start over 7f. She now steps up to an untested 1m, which asks a fresh question of her. The trainer has no recorded runs at Pontefract while the jockey's 6% strike rate from 54 rides here is modest. She tends to make the running or race on the pace on limited evidence with low confidence and is unproven on good to soft with no course form on record. KTB rates her seventh on a Fit score of 43.
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8Palace Legacy38/100
Palace Legacy has recent form figures of 3822 and is stepping up in class from an official rating of 77. He is held up, usually producing his effort late with high confidence, and first-time headgear is now applied. The trainer has a 9% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 0.56 from 33 runs while the jockey has a 10% strike rate with an A/E of 0.88 from 758 rides. He has been placed once from one run on good to soft and has no course form on record. KTB rates him bottom on a Fit score of 38.
KTB verdict
King High is the KTB Selection. He is a useful and lightly raced performer who has already won over the trip, arrives in solid form with figures of 412, and is backed by a jockey with a strong 29% strike rate at Pontefract. The selection has the right profile for a step up in class and his held-up style should see him delivered late if the tentative pace shape develops sufficiently. Undiscovered brings strong form in better company and the yard-jockey combination is in excellent order at the track, while Tyrrhenian Thunder's unbeaten record demands respect despite the step up in trip and class being something of an unknown. Kodiac City is not without hope if he can bounce back from York.
KTB Selection King High
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 |
|---|---|---|
| King High | 11/4 | Bet365 |
| Tyrrhenian Thunder | 6/1 | Bet365 |
| Undiscovered | 7/2 | 7Bet |
| Kodiac City | 18/1 | Bet Victor |
| Silverella | 9/2 | Bet365 |
| Game Character | 9/2 | Bet Victor |
| Mary Doll | 22/1 | Bet Victor |
| Palace Legacy | 50/1 | Bet Victor |
This is the narrative read of the 2:53 Pontefract. For the live card — runner-by-runner stats, the full Fit Score breakdown and current odds — see the Pontefract racecard. Every result we hold for the track is on the Pontefract results & records page. How favourites, trainers, jockeys and the draw have fared here over the last five years is on the Pontefract racecourse statistics page. New here? How KTB works explains the Fit Score and why we publish both.
Questions about this race
Which horse is proven to have won over the exact trip of today's race?
King High has already won over today's trip on his second start.
Who is the only horse in the field with a course win on good to soft ground at Pontefract?
Silverella has won here on good to soft from one run at the track.
Which jockey has the strongest strike rate at Pontefract among those riding in this race?
M. P. Sheehy has a 75% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 2.55 from four rides.
Which runner is the only one to have shown form in better company than this Listed race?
Undiscovered has already shown strong form in better company than this.
Which horse will be wearing first-time headgear?
Palace Legacy is the only horse fitted with first-time headgear.
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