Racing
Pontefract betting preview: Heaven Forfend should gain first success
Steven Dowler has knocked up a superb Pontefract betting preview as he tries to nail the Best Dividend Guaranteed £3,000 Place 6. Read his thoughts and join his Syndicate.
Pontefract betting preview
13.50 – Maiden Stakes – 5f
The opening race of the Pontefract betting preview isn’t the sort of race that sets the heart racing from a betting perspective, but I’m hopeful that we will see a nice performance from one of the debutants representing powerful connections. POLITICS is nicely-bred and Andrew Balding’s runners should always be feared at this track with the same applied to Richard Fahey’s debutant REGIONAL who is sure to be popular with Tony Hamilton on board.
ZAMAN JAMEEL has the benefit of racecourse experience having run well for a long way from the front at York on debut to be sixth, and the form of that race is pretty useful. That outing should stand him good stead here given it will take a good performance from one of the newcomers to get the better of him representing the Kevin Ryan and Tom Eaves combination.
Selections: ZAMAN JAMEEL, POLITICS, REGIONAL
14.20 – Handicap – 5f
A fiercely-competitive handicap for the track so I’m happy to go into the race with a quartet of selections on leg two of my preview.
Richard Fahey does well at this venue and ARAIFJAN has a good chance of gaining a first success while enhancing the stable’s food record here stepping up to six furlongs. He ran over C&D last time out, travelling well before keeping on at the one pace. The application of first-time cheekpieces should sharpen him up and this race looks easier than last time despite having to overcome a wide draw.
SHEEPSCAR LAD is on a long losing sequence but he’s too well-treated to dismiss given his consistent level of form. He’s a former C&D winner off a higher mark, so providing he can overcome the wide berth of stall 14, there is plenty of optimism about another bold showing with the first-time tongue-tie expected to help matters.
Mick Channon also does well at the track (high strike-rate), and his runner EQUIPPED likes to race prominently which is a bonus from her decent draw in stall 4. She needs to improve for the switch back to the turf but she’s capable of doing so off an attractive-looking mark.
SHEPHERD’S PURSE was down the field in this last year, but that was off a higher mark (64) in comparison to today’s (58) and he’s also back on his last winning mark. Handed a nice draw in stall 3 on the back of an encouraging third last time out makes him an interesting each-way proposition.
Selections: ARAIFJAN, SHEEPSCAR LAD, EQUIPPED, SHEPHERD’S PURSE
14.50 – Handicap – 5f
SHE CAN BOOGIE has often been highly tried in better races than this throughout her career to date. She had twice finished second previously off a mark of (90) meaning her mark of (83) today leaves her very well-handicapped indeed. She handles all types of ground and is more than capable of bouncing back to winning ways off an appealing mark at this level.
Oisin Murphy is an interesting jockey booking aboard COBRA EYE who is the only 3-year-old in the line-up. He was highly tried as a 2-year old and should come on plenty from his reappearance 19 days ago. His sole success came on good ground so conditions here will be favourable for him, therefore, he can’t be discounted.
PEGGIE SUE took advantage of a falling mark two starts ago and remained in good form when a fair fourth last month. She’s also a former C&D winner and has gone extremely close to winning off this exact mark of (85) in the past.
Selections: SHE CAN BOOGIE, COBRA EYE, PEGGIE SUE
15.20 – Listed Stakes – 1m
Mark Johnston saddled the winner of this race last year, and he has an excellent chance of winning it again with DARK VISION who impressively won the Royal Hunt Cup at Royal Ascot before failing by only a “short head” at Sandown when attempting to concede 6lb to the very smart Montatham who he had previously beaten. This stiff mile trip here will suit his strong late-surge style of running and he should prove hard to beat again.
WADILSAFA benefitted from a wind-op to finish an eye-catching third at Newmarket last time where he might well have won with a clear run. He’s a very capable horse on his day and if he puts it all together this afternoon then there’s a strong chance of him winning this race especially with the Owen Burrows yard in red-hot form along with Jim Crowley firing in winners for connections all over the place since racing resumed.
Selections: DARK VISION, WADILSAFA
15.50 – Maiden Stakes – 1m
Last year’s winning yard, Sir Michael Stoute looks to have found the promising but rather frustrating HEAVEN FORFEND a good opportunity to get off the mark. The stable has an excellent 31% strike-rate at the track and his runner was sixth in the Chesham Stakes at Royal Ascot as a two-year-old. He failed to justify strong market expectations when only second on his return to action as the 5/6 favourite, but will strip fitter today and his ability combined with experience should finally see him gain a much deserved first success with Jim Crowley booked for the ride.
Selections: HEAVEN FORFEND
16.25 – Maiden Stakes – 1m2f
The William Haggas-trained NAKED LASS has shown plenty of promise on both career outings to date finishing a close-up third on each occasion. She looked like she had the race won when hitting the front at Windsor last time out only to weaken in the closing stages and finish back in third. Having said that, I think she will be ridden with more restraint this time around and that could pay dividends with more experience under her belt.
Richard Hannon and Sean Levey are in good form at this present moment of time and they team up with WHISPER NOT who ran respectable races on his first couple of outings. He didn’t shape at all that bad when fifth in a warmer race on his return to action at Newmarket last month. That run should have taken the freshness out of him so he’s entitled to be thereabouts in this weak-enough final leg of the Pontefract betting preview.
Selections: NAKED LASS, WHISPER NOT
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