After the thrills and spills of Royal Ascot and a packed Saturday, things quieten down a little on Sunday with three meetings, two on the Flat at Brighton and Pontefract while they also go over jumps at Hexham.
Racing Post tipster Gary Savage has provided three recommendations for the day’s action, with all three of his selections running at Pontefract.
Pontefract Horse Racing Betting Tips
14:35 Pontefract - Ventura Express @ 9/2
15:05 Pontefract - Merveilleux Lapin @ 10/1
15:35 Pontefract - Trojan Soldier @ 6/5
14:35 Pontefract - Ventura Express @ 9/2
A standing dish in these contests, Paul Midgley’s Ventura Express looks to have conditions very much in his favour this afternoon and can notch his fifth course victory.
Always useful at Pontefract - the nine-year-old has placed in 9 of his 15 starts at the track, he has looked to be coming to the boil in his last couple of starts after falling to a handy mark.
Although he hasn’t won for nearly two years, there have been plenty of good performances along the way, including when beaten a nose over course and distance last July from a mark of 80.
He started this turf season on 77, after three runs where things haven’t gone his way, and is now a full 7lb lower than for that narrow defeat last season.
There hasn’t been a decent pace to aim at on his last two starts, which means he has struggled to catch the leaders, but with several prominent racers, including stablemate Lethal Nymph, this is likely to be run at a decent clip.
The fact his recent good performances have come on good to soft ground is also encouraging as he much prefers a faster surface and from a handy stall everything looks in place for a good run.
15:05 Pontefract - Merveilleux Lapin @ 10/1
A quality field of fillies chasing valuable black type in this Listed mile and a half contest, and there isn’t much between almost the whole field on ratings.
Ralph Beckett has won this contest four times in the last eight years and trains the likely favourite in the well-related Revoir.
She should certainly play a part having gone close in Listed and Group 3 races already, but there could be value in opposing her with Owen Burrows’ Merveilleux Lapin, who wasn’t far behind her at Longchamp last September.
She was trained at the time by Maciej Jodlowski in Poland and her career highlight for him was a victory in the Polish Oaks.
That was followed by her run in the Longchamp Group 3 where, despite racing keenly and being trapped for room when the winner and the aforementioned Revich went for home 3f out, she finished a solid third.
That form showed she should be up to this sort of level over here, and with all due respect to her previous trainer, the switch to Owen Burrows should bring about a bit of improvement.
Her new trainer describes her as a light-framed filly who should be well suited to fast ground, and that certainly looked to be the case on her stable debut when she may have won a handicap at Windsor with a clearer run.
That form is right on the coat-tails of what is required for this race, and with Callum Rodriguez (36% for the stable in the last five seasons) taking the ride she can spring a surprise.
15:35 Pontefract - Trojan Soldier @ 6/5
Pontefract hosts one of its ultra-marathons, this time over 2m2f, and it can pay to keep things simple with the in-form Trojan Soldier looking set to complete a four-timer.
A four-year-old with 12 starts to his name so far, he has really come alive when stepped up in trip this year with five starts over distances ranging from 1m6f to 2m1f, coming second in his first two and winning the subsequent three.
Until last time his rating had only risen from 69 to 73 as the manner of his victories was gritty rather than impressive, with wins by a nose and a neck at Southwell and Ripon.
This changed most recently when on his first visit to Pontefract, over the furthest trip he has tackled, he trounced a progressive Wathnan-owned four-year-old, posting a clear career best.
His jockey got after him plenty early enough that day, but once he found his stride in the straight he powered away, looking like he relished the extra yardage, and winning with plenty in hand.
This time he has been raised 5lb but that doesn’t look enough to stop his progress just yet, and with him still able to race in a Class 4, he will take all the beating.
Read more horse racing betting tips and predictions on site.
Tipster's Recent Winners
Gary Savage has enjoyed plenty of big-priced places in recent weeks and tipped up an 11/4 winner a couple of weeks ago.
Horse Racing Betting Guides
What is an Each Way bet in Horse Racing?
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
