Rossa Ryan is 2-2 on King Al so don’t ignore this progressive gelding in Newbury’s finale on Saturday

October 23

Alan does not have too many confirmed mudlarks here at Barbury, but one who won’t mind the ground being on the soft side at Newbury on Saturday is King Al, who steps up in grade for the Class 3 mile and a quarter handicap, which will be the final race to be run on our local course this Flat season.

Underfoot conditions are unlikely to be as testing as those which King Al encountered on his racecourse debut at Haydock this time last year, when he dug deep to win a novice.

King Al was gelded during the summer, and after making an encouraging return at Doncaster in July, he just got the better of the more-experienced Sir William over Saturday’s course and distance in August.

That earned King Al a 4lb rise in the weights for his next race at Nottingham, but in a three-way photo-finish he went under by a whisker to another previous winner in Mawood.

Being a lightly-raced progressive sort, King Al shouldn’t have a problem with another 2lb hike, and, though he faces a tougher task against these older horses, Rossa Ryan is 2-2 on him, so the partnership look genuine each-way contenders.