Return of the two-year-old who received 'remarkable' in-running comment

An inexperienced two-year-old who attracted the eyecatching comment “remarkably closed to chase leaders inside final furlong” from the Racing Post’s race-reader at Kempton earlier this month, reappears in Wolverhampton’s 6f novice median auction stakes (8.15) on Saturday.

Walk On Walter caught both trainer David Simcock and jockey Jamie Spencer totally unawares with his antics on the second start of his career when hanging violently to the stands’ rail off Kempton’s final bend.

Racecourse commentator Simon Holt called him “unsteerable and unrideable”, and the performance attracted plenty of comment on social media after Spencer "had appeared to stop riding inside the final furlong" – as the stewards' put it in their report – on Walk On Walter, who finished fourth, beaten just two lengths by the winner Sergio Leone.

Simcock reflected on Friday: “It came totally out of the blue. There's no rhyme or reason to it. I didn’t expect that from him at Kempton. I hadn’t seen it before and I haven’t seen if from him since.

“The only thing we’ve changed ahead of going left-handed this time at Wolverhampton is the bit, and we’re putting a hood on him.”

Simcock, who has again booked Spencer, added: “Walk On Walter was unsteerable at Kempton. Jamie was protecting both himself and the horse.”

Steve Payne, who made the comment about Walk On Walter, said on Friday: “I remember the performance well. I used the word ‘remarkably’ for the first time in one of my comments because the horse was somehow getting into the race inside the final furlong even though the jockey was unable to give any assistance.

“It looked like Jamie was genuinely concerned for both his and the horse’s safety. The horse was hanging so badly I half expected him to duck into the exit to the paddock just after the line. It reminded me of trying to drive a car with a flat tyre.”

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