PONTEFRACT HORSE RACING SYSTEM -- 2019 SEASON -- MEETING #4

PONTEFRACT SEASON 2019.

Welcome to our fourth meeting of the season on Friday 24th May. 

1st race 6.30pm, gates open from 4pm.

The 2019 season continues with 80s Night with Billy Ocean. Evening meetings are always extremely popular at Pontefract and the first of three this season is 80s Night on Friday Evening 24th May. It’s the first of two Music Nights (the other being on Friday Evening 19th July) and with one of the world’s biggest international male soloists from the 80s, Billy Ocean, playing after the last race, it promises to be the best 80’s Night yet!

Billy Ocean has sold over 30 million records in his lifetime to date. With number one hits in the UK, USA, Australia, Germany and Holland, he’s achieved extraordinary success as both an artist and songwriter. Born in Trinidad, Billy settled in London’s East End when he was just seven and was quickly inspired by the likes of Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. His first big break came when’ Love Really Hurts Without You’ reached No. 2 in the UK charts and No. 12 in the US. Other huge hits, including ‘Red Light Spells Danger’, followed on, before the million selling, Grammy Award winning, US Number 1 ‘Caribbean Queen’, ‘Loverboy’ and ‘Suddenly’.

There were even more huge hits with ‘When The Going Gets Tough (the tough get going)’ and ‘There’ll Be Sad Songs (to make you cry)’ before the now classic ‘Get Outta My Dreams; Get Into My Car’ gave Billy his third US No. 1. With a back catalogue like this, the 24th May promises to be one of the best music nights that Pontefract has ever seen! With tickets limited, Racegoers are encouraged to secure their place early.

On the track, the highlight is the 6 furlong £25,000 EBF VW Van Centre [Leeds] Ltd Youngsters Conditions Stakes [19:30]. There is an impressive list of previous winners and last year’s victor, Ninetythreetwenty, went on to finish 6th to Calyx at Royal Ascot and has now been sold to continue his racing career in Hong Kong. The race always attracts some interesting and precocious juveniles looking to stake their claim for Royal Ascot glory the following month.

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 meetings one and two we did have a nice one last time and reduced our losses a little plus picked up a handy forecast win. So as we enter meeting four we are sadly down by -10.125 points to SP. 

The forecast going is now currently reported as 'Good to Firm, Good in places' and our weather for Friday evening is for a generally cloudy day with sunshine and a moderate breeze but hopefully not too much wind to spoil the evening we've a forecast maximum temperature around the 17C mark when racing begins.

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

18:30 1m 6yds Handicap.
(1) -- FRANKSTER  [5th 3/1].
(2) -- MISS SHERIDAN  [WON 8/1].

19:00 1m 4f 5yds Handicap.
(1) -- CHAMPAGNE RULES  [WON 12/1].
(2) -- ZIHAAM  [6th 9/1].

19:30 6f Conditions Stakes (2yo).
(1) -- SHOW ME SHOW ME  [2nd 9/4].
(2) -- MONOSKI [WON 4/7F].

20:00 5f 3yds Handicap.
(1) -- VAN GERWIN  [3rd 5/1].
(2) -- ANOTHER ANGEL [5th 12/1].

20:30 1m 2f 5yds Fillies Handicap.
(1) -- BRAVANTINA  [9th 33/1].

(2) -- SAMSTAR  [3rd 5/1].

21:00 6f Novice Stakes (3yo).

(1) -- THE GINGERBREADMAN  [5th 50/1].

(2) -- DREAM OF HONOUR  [3rd 6/1].

Staked -- 12 points.

Returns -- 23.57 points.

Having started the 2019 season afresh, we fell behind in the opening few rounds but won a little last time and now have a small loss of -10.125 coming into the fourth meeting. 

Results will be updated during Friday evening, off to a great start with the first THREE winners and now in profit for the season. A profit of +11.57 tonight which wipes out the season losses and leaves us on +1.445 heading on to meeting five. 

Our next meeting here will be another evening one on Monday 10th June so we do hope to see you then.