PONTEFRACT HORSE RACING SYSTEM -- 2019 SEASON -- MEETING #2

PONTEFRACT SEASON 2019.

Welcome to our second meeting of the season on Monday 15th April. 

1st race 2.20pm, gates open from 12 noon.

There’s a quick turnaround in the race meetings at Pontefract with the second meeting of the season taking place on Monday 15th April when the equine equivalent of the London Marathon, the Pontefract Marathon, is one of the highlights on a seven race card.

The first two year race of the season at Pontefract is The Farmer Copleys GFF Farm Shop of the Year 2019 EBF Novice Stakes [2:20]. The race title celebrates the new partnership between the Racecourse and award winning local Farm Shop 'Farmer Copleys', who will be supplying a luxury Yorkshire hamper to the winning connections in every race at Pontefract in 2019. The race went the way of John Quinn’s ‘Carey Street’ in 2018. 

There’s £25k up for grabs in the RIU Hotels and Resorts Handicap [3:20]. The race was fought out by Foolaad and El Astronaute last year with the former just getting the better of the argument. Foolaad returns too with a repeat bid to win again and it's a race that always throws up future winners and is therefore one to keep an eye on. RIU Hotels and Resorts will be back at Pontefract later in the year when they will be sponsoring the Best Dressed Lady competition in August. This year, the winning lady will win an all inclusive holiday to Jamaica!

The ‘Into The Sky’ Pontefract Marathon Handicap [3:50] – run over 2m5½ furlongs – is the longest flat race handicap run in the country and forms the second leg of the Stayers Championship. Micky Hammond has been farming the series in recent years and he has several horses in mind for the 2019 Championship. The 6f Fillies maiden [4:20] has thrown up some decent winners in the past and David O’Meara has won divisions of the race in the last two years with Black Isle Boy in 2017 and Three Saints Bay in 2018. Trainers love to target races that they’ve been successful in in the past and any representative from the O’Meara yard should be noted. This race is run in honour of long standing member of staff, Richard Pemberton, who has worked at the track for 30 years, including a spell as Head Groundsman. We hope that he has a very long and happy retirement.

ALL results for these fixtures are recorded to a level stake at Starting Price (SP), and will also show any forecast results too in the daily results but these do not count for the profit / loss figures. Following a slow start to meeting one we only found a couple of winners and are sadly down by -2.625 points to SP going into meeting number two. 

The forecast going is now currently reported as 'Good, Good to Firm in places' the weather for Monday afternoon is for a generally cloudy day with some chance of showers but hopefully not too much rain to spoil the day We've a forecast maximum temperature around the 12C mark as continue to welcome the start of the season in spring.

Here are our selections for the eight races on Monday afternoon, remember it's a very simple selection process using stalls one and two in every race;

14:20 5f 3yds Novice Stakes (2yo).
(1) -- VARDON FLYER  [5th 40/1].
(2) -- THE MYSTERY WIZARD  [6th 33/1].

14:50 1m 6yds Handicap.
(1) -- SPACE BANDIT  [7th 2/1F].
(2) -- DARK DEVIL  [8th 13/2].

15:20 5f 3yds Handicap.
(1) -- SANDRA'S SECRET  [4th 10/1].
(2) -- FOOLAAD  [3rd 5/2F].

15:50 2m 5f 139yds Marathon Handicap.
(1) -- TYNECASTLE PARK  [2nd 11/4].
(2) -- GALILEO'S SPEAR  [3rd 9/2].

16:20 6f Novice Stakes (3yo+ Fillies).
(1) -- NORTHERN QUEEN  [4th 12/1].

(2) -- OPERA KISS  [12th 100/1].

16:50 5f 3yds Handicap (Div One).

(1) -- KIBAAR  [2nd 11/1].

(2) -- SPIRIT POWER  [7th 13/2].

17:20 5f 3yds Handicap (Div Two).

(1) -- JOHNNY CAVAGIN  [WON 7/2].

(2) -- FOXTROT KNIGHT  [4th 7/4F].

17:50 1m 6yds Handicap (3yo)..

(1) -- GENNARO  [2nd 8/1].
(2) -- CURFEWED  [3rd 11/2].

Staked -- 16 points.

Returns -- 4.5 points.

We started the 2019 season afresh, but sadly meeting #1 saw a small loss of -2.625 so we will see if we can get that turned around this time. Will see how the journey this year goes. Results will be updated during the afternoon, and a host of places but only the one winner today. So lost -11.5 points means we are behind -14.125 overall.

Our next meeting here will be on Wednesday 1st May so we do hope to see you then.