JJMSports’s look at Pontefract’s Friday Evening Card
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We do like a cheeky evening meeting at Ponty, and the Lord has obliged. I don’t know who this lord figure is, but if anyone is listening upstairs, we would like a few winners please.
Ted Easterby is the trainer to watch at the moment, and he has the top rated horse in the first. If it smells like money, looks like money and feels like money, it looks like being onto a winner. He has Twilight Pearl in the first, a Pastoral Pursuits filly, who is still a maiden after three runs. The step up in trip to six furlongs, pedigree wise, should suit, and she sets a good standard in a large fielded affair where Secret Symphony looks the best of the rest.
The Roger Varian stable don’t look to be firing on all cylinders at the moment, and his horses are generally slight underpriced as it is. He has Zowaina in the 7.00 fillies’ handicap, with Dominic Fox on board, but she doesn’t strike me as much value, contesting favouritism with Sir Henry Cecil’s. Kunegunda looks a very decent prospect for the Fanshawe yard, with his favourite filly aboard, The Head Turner, as she seeks to steer her to get on the board in handicaps after hitting the crossbar in maidens. Kunegunda gave strong accounts in maidens at Windsor, Ripon and Nottingham. She has been crying out for a longer trip, and stepped up to a mile and a half can see her finally get her nose, head, neck and body in front.
Head Space tied up in front last time out, when stumbling and conceding the lead in the last 50 yards, and to the grimace of punters everywhere, lost his marbles, and in fact the race. He is too short for me, even though goes unpenalised and seems a penalty quick. I like my horses like my women, zero fuss, no quirks, and nothing fancy. Caranbola is an old favourite of mine, and has a terrific record over the minimum trip. The mare has a record of 7/20 running over five furlongs, and a bit like Red Tyke on Wednesday has a gutsy attitude, and will give her all. Up 1lb for a ¾ length fourth of ten last time out at Beverley and still looked as good as ever. She goes on any ground, and is too big a price.
Rex Romanorum is a three year old gelded son of Holy Roman Emperor, a sire who has particularly thrived with his two and three year olds. In his first foray into handicap company he ran a solid third behind the progressive Dutch Rose, and there looks to be plenty more to come. The former Aidan O’ Brien trained has only four career starts to his name, and given his expensive price tag as a yearling, could be a lot better than a mark of 63.
As mentioned before in these articles, I am quite fond of the Mel Britain and Robert Winston connections, and it seems a little strange that he gets off Tobrata to ride Lady Bellatrix for Mark Tompkins. As such, it is playing havoc with my nerve endings and as such, I can’t have either or. Zaayah would have been fancied if it weren’t for the fact John Dunlop’s horses are in tremendously shocking form, not having a winner in around a month. Romantic is another Holy Roman Emperor three year old. He put his best foot forward when sixth at Haydock, losing by five lengths. He has been dropped another 2lb, down to a mark of 67, and looks the best of a bad bunch.
The Robert Winston and Mel Britain combination have a runner in the last to hopefully round off a good evening, is it really that greedy wanting to get all seven winners home? Steel Stockholder runs for the first time over six furlongs in the horses’ 26 career runs, and I’ve been waiting for this for a while. The six year old has been running well, but tiring late on in his races, and this seems the most logical of steps. Winston is riding out of his skin at the moment, and would be very rare for him to not go away from a meeting in the mould of this without a winner, hell even a place, we could definitely consider this to be a ‘working mans price’.
6.25 Pontefract – Twilight Pearl (Nap)
7.00 Pontefract – Kunegunda (Nb)
7.35 Pontefract – Caranbola (Ew)
8.10 Pontefract – Rex Romanorum (Ew)
8.40 Pontefract – Romantic (Ew)
9.10 Pontefract – Steel Stockholder (Ew)
The Yorkshireman – Jack Milner
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