PONTEFRACT HORSE RACING SYSTEM -- 2018 TURF SEASON -- PART THIRTEEN

PONTEFRACT SEASON 2018.

Thursday 20th September.
Welcome to this our 13th meeting of the year. There are only three more to come after this. 

1st race 2.10pm, gates open 12 noon.

There are 7 races on this card, including the popular Pontefract Stayers Championship the Micky Hammond trained Becky The Thatcher who is currently leading the series and looks likely to be back to try and consolidate her advantage. There will be plenty of challengers lining up to take her on though! She has a great record at the track and owners, McGoldrick Racing, are keen to win the Championship. The highlight of today's meeting is the £30,000 EBF Fillies’ Handicap over 6f off at 15:45. This race was won last year by the Richard Fahey trained Marie of Lyon. 

A poor meeting for us last time around and we had to take a hit on our balance so we come into the final few meetings of the year behind to the tune of -13.405 to Starting Prices. There is still a few chances to get that back before the end of the season although there are only three more meetings including this one so we can hopefully get that back starting today. We will continue throughout this season to record ALL results for these fixtures which are returned 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.

The forecast going is now currently reported as 'Good, Good to firm in places' the weather for Thursday 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 16C mark as we come to the end of the season here in Autumn.

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

14:10 5f 3yds Maiden (2yo).
(1) -- THE COTSWOLD WASP  [2nd 14/1].
(2) -- MATTYMILLER  [4th 50/1].

14:40 1m 6yds Handicap.
(1) -- BILLY WEDGE  [10th 16/1].
(2) -- ETISALAT  [11th 4/1].

15:15 1m 2f 5yds Handicap.
(1) -- JUNEAU  [3rd 5/1].
(2) -- LORD CAPRIO  [4th 20/1].

15:45 6f Fillies Handicap.
(1) -- GORGEOUS NOORA  [Non Runner].
(2) -- GOODNIGHT GIRL  [3rd 4/1].

16:20 2m 1f 27yds Stayers Championship Handicap.
(1) -- COUSIN KHEE  [10th 50/1].

(2) -- SO NEAR SO FARHH  [WON 4/1].

16:55 1m 4f 5yds Maiden (3yo).
(1) -- BARITONE  [WON 1/3F].
(2) -- LADY ANNALEE  [2nd 16/1].

17:25 6f Apprentice Handicap.
(1) -- THE RIGHT CHOICE  [3rd 7/2].
(2) -- SULTAN BAYBARS  [10th 17/2].

Staked -- 14 points.

Returns -- 7.33 points.

We come into this meeting with a small loss figure of -13.405 points to SP. Results from today will be updated later on at the end of the meeting. Not the best afternoon, losing 6.67 points today so we just over 20 points down now with three meetings left -20.075 to be precise.

Our next meeting will be held next week on Thursday 27th September. Hope you will be following us throughout the final few meetings of the season.

KEMPTON PARK RACES 2018 -- WEDNESDAY NIGHTS #19 12th SEPTEMBER

The evenings are beginning to get darker early, but the lights are on here always at Kempton on Wednesday.

While elsewhere life could be better, Wimbledon have begun to fall down the table after a promising start and improvement is required so it was nice to see a positive 1-0 away win at Gillingham last weekend to stop the recent demise. Been to see Alastair Cooks' final test innings for England vs India in the Cricket at the Kia Oval this week too but we always come back to this blog will continue to follow the progress of handicap races on the Wednesday night races here at Kempton Park racecourse in Surrey. We've not had the greatest first part of the year and are falling behind now although it's a bit up and down this is past half way and meeting nineteen. There are usually 4-5 handicap races covered and some Lay bets too with separate totals recorded to SP throughout the year. 

We are ready for week number nineteen, and as we push on into the latter part of the year we need to find that winning habit again as we need to recover and take a dent out of the losses to date since we find ourselves down -50.47 points to SP, would be nice to continue turning this around and there is still a fair way to go we need some more winners soon and alas we record to starting prices.

As we continue to focus on the handicap contests for each Wednesday evening meeting we will also occasionally include a feature listed or conditions event too if one is available. Keeping records of our endeavours to a 1 point level stake at SP, naturally we will personally be looking to get better odds than this but for the purpose of these results here we simply record SP returns only.

We will keep up with our occasional lay opportunities of short priced favourites too. Naturally we will keep these results separately from the handicap figures, having a disappointing time with these of late keep on finding winners, this season though means we are currently 14/24 going forwards with these for 2018 and we at least keep accurate figures win or lose. 

This Wednesday is meeting number nineteen for the 2018 season and we are expecting a seven race card tonight with five handicaps to enjoy the action will commence at 17:45 with a 6f Claiming contest.

Here's a link to this Wednesday's race card; RACECARD

The going on the polytrack surface is described as 'standard to slow' and the current weather forecast for this Wednesday is for a dark and cloudy day we a decent chance of rain so might be best to stay in the bars between races (just a suggestion) but we can still have a good night even with the threat of rain a top temperature will be about 19C by the time the meeting gets underway.

Here are our handicap selections for tonight;

18:15 -- 7f Nursery Handicap (2yo).
Our first handicap event is the second contest on the card tonight and it's a 2yo Nursery with eleven declared to start. Top weight is SANDRIDGE LAD [6th 7/1] and while he's taken a few runs to get the hang of things has the right jockey on today and is given a chance at a big price to make the transition on the all weather in a handicap. 

RITA'S FOLLY [7th 6/1] is a filly of interest and has run well enough in maiden company over 6f to be considered in her first handicap and moving up a furlong should help with David Probert taking over in the saddle.

18:45 -- 7f Handicap.
Top weight EXECUTIVE FORCE [2nd 2/1] will find this class and quality a lot easier than anything he's been involved of late, would still be a slight surprise if he were to win but not without a chance.

The 3yo filly CRYSTAL CASQUE [3rd 3/1] a winner at Salisbury earlier has been placed on occasions here at Kempton and is worth a chance to go on better on the all weather.

19:45 -- 1m 7f 218y Handicap (3yo).
Only a small field of five for this staying content restricted to 3yo only. The short priced favourite is Sir Mark Prescott's TWISTER who probably will win but at the odds shall be opposed by us especially as this might end up being a tactical affair with CONSTRUCT [2nd 9/2] looking to favour the step up in trip and has won a small field event before, recently a runner up at Chelmsford.

Also of interest against the fav is HIGHLAND SKY [4th 7/1] who gets all the weight concessions from the others, has won at Lingfield and ought to be involved.

20:15 -- 1m 3f 219y Handicap.
A winner on the all weather at Newcastle on debut MORNING SKYE [6th 5/2] then had to wait till his 9th run at Lingfield to score again. That was a few weeks ago and in good form is giving the opportunity to score once again here. 

Godolphin don't keep too many in this grade for long and their MOVING FORWARD [WON 11/4] has been 3rd in last three but will need to show something soon before he's moved forward to another yard, is given a chance to show something tonight.

20:45 -- 1m Handicap.
Our finale tonight has a max field of 14 declared over the mile trip, the filly FAIR SELENE [WON 12/1] has not had a lot of racing this season so an Autumn all weather campaign might pay dividends against some who have been on the go most of the season, Fran Berry an interesting jockey booking. Nice winner Fran !!

PIKE CORNER CROSS [7th 7/1] has not won for a little while but can win on the all weather, has tumbled down the weights to a relatively low mark and wouldn't be a big surprise if able to score tonight in this company.

Staked -- 10 points.
Returns -- 16.75 points.

Results will appear here later on Wednesday night. We seek to recover from our current deficit of -50.47 points. Hurrah at last a winning night and knocked off +6.75 from the deficit leaves us down -43.72.

LAYS -- 14/24 so far, beginning to get them beat now, and if we have one or two Lays tonight they will be updated here also. One winner, One loser, so we move on to 15/26 now.

Tonight's Lays;
QUICKSAND -- 7:15 Fillies Novice Stakes  [Won 5/6F].
TWISTER -- 7:45 3yo Stayers Handicap [Lost 3rd 2/1]. 

Our next meeting here at Kempton Park will be next month on WEDNESDAY 10th OCTOBER so see you then.

WENDY McCALLUM - VITALITY DAY 8th SEPTEMBER 2018

We'll be running our next Vitality Day on 8th September at The Koorana Centre.  There will be talks, stalls and treatments all focused on "Bring Nature In".  I'll be there with the Tropic range of natural skincare, body care and makeup.  My talk "Naturally Beautiful" will be at 11.00 and I would love to see you there.  Details are below. I hope you're having a lovely summer and look forward to catching up again soon. With love and thanks Wendy xx

The Koorana Centre Street Lane, Ardingly, West Sussex, RH17 6UB Bring Nature In Our next Vitality Day will take place on Saturday 8 September 2018 11am-4pm, the programme can be found below. **ADVANCED BOOKING ONLY** we have a limited number of tickets for this exciting day, so please book early to avoid disappointment. Programme for Vitality Day 8 September 11am-4pm Please book your tickets in advance and benefit from a special 'early bird' price of £10 per Adult Day Pass (children free) before 8 August 2018. Scroll down to the bottom of this page for the links to buy the Adult Day Pass. For individual talks/mini-workshop please click on the link provided next to each activity and prices for all tickets are shown below. Those who register for the Early Bird Adult Day Pass will also be invited to attend an opening relaxation/meditation class at 10.30am and receive a free welcome pack. 11am ‘Naturally Beautiful’ Wendy McCallum, the Anti-stress Angel, will be talking about the importance of using naturally sourced skincare, body care and makeup to help the body, mind and soul, which are beneficial to the environment and to our animal friends. She will have some lovely products for you to sample. Book this individual talk through: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-talk-naturally-beautiful-tickets-48030704129 or gain free entry as part of your day pass, scroll down to the link below. 12.30pm ‘Diffusing Pure Essential Oils for a Cleaner Healthier Home’ Imagine the scent of a pine forest, citrus fruit, fresh herbs or flowers floating through your home … This talk by natural health practitioner, Eliza Mansfield from 'Hope In Every Bottle', looks at the power of diffusing pure essential oils supplied by doTerra and how to bring nature's beautiful therapeutic aromas into the home. Learn how the oils clean the atmosphere and about the amazing health benefits for all ages. Eliza will demonstrate how to use diffusers and introduce a variety of the most popular oils for you to smell. She will also provide special diffuser blend recipes for cleansing, energising and bringing relaxation into the space including 'Clean Air', 'Immune Buster', 'Clear Focus' and 'Sleepy Time'. Book this individual talk through: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-talk-diffusing-pure-essential-oils-for-a-cleaner-healthier-home-tickets-48030904729 or gain free entry as part of your day pass, scroll down to the link below. 2pm Mini-Workshop 'Create a Happy Home' Gabrielle will share details about her programme 'Create a Happy Home' which is designed to support families that want to create the best environment for children and young people, especially the most sensitive ones. In her talk she will include details about cleansing spaces, using plants to remove toxicity, understanding the five elements and using simple feng shui cures and discovering the magic of using crystals. Book this individual workshop through: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-mini-workshop-create-a-happy-home-tickets-48031246752 or gain free entry as part of your day pass, scroll down to the link below. 3.30pm 'The Best Herbs and Spices to use in Cooking' Do you know the best herbs and spices to use when preparing your meals? Nancy Towers, our Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist, will share some of the favourites she likes to use in order to support health and wellbeing on every level. Book this individual talk through: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-talk-the-best-herbs-and-spices-to-use-in-cooking-tickets-48031053173 or gain free entry as part of your day pass, scroll down to the link below. Therapy Zone 20 minute taster therapies in Acupuncture, Reiki, Bowen Technique and Kansa Vatki Foot massage are available with members from our dedicated team. £15-£20 per treatment. Please book and pay each therapist in cash on the day. A healthy lunch will be served and there will be a variety of stalls selling natural products for you and your home including crystals, toiletries, cosmetics, candles, rooms sprays, essential oils and flower essences. Craft Activity A craft activity will be provided by Anna at 'Make Your Mark' which is suitable for all ages. Using indian blocks for printing, allow nature to inspire you to create something truly special to take home. Price will be advertised on the day. Entry by admission ticket. Book individual talks/mini-workshop through links shown above or the Adult Day Pass links shown below. Adult Day Pass Early Bird £10 per adult (children free) until 8/8/18 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-bring-nature-in-early-bird-ticket-tickets-48031436319 to include an invitation to a relaxation/meditation from 10.30am and a free welcome pack (please note the class is for adults only). £12 per adult (children free) from 9/8/18-7/9/18 https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/vitality-day-bring-nature-in-adult-day-ticket-tickets-48024491547 The day pass includes free entry to all talks and the mini workshop, you will be asked to sign up for which of these you would like to attend when you arrive on the day. Individual Talks £5 per adult ticket for each talk (see links above). Mini-workshop £8 per adult ticket (see link above) A percentage of the ticket price will support our 'Discover Yourself Project' to support young people as part of the Koorana Community Programme (not for profit). https://www.facebook.com/events/446599369192513/?fref=gc&dti=461388453970356&hc_location=ufi