A Monday Well Spent at Pontefract
Now look, I'll be the first to admit that when someone says "Monday afternoon flat racing at Pontefract," your man Tom O'Brien is not exactly reaching for his good suit. But I'll tell you this for nothing — Pontefract has a habit of throwing up proper racing, and today's card on a lovely Good, Good to Firm in places summer afternoon was no different. Six races, a decent spread of talent, and enough to chew over with a pint that I'm still going. Pull up a stool.
The going was just about perfect for the time of year — that Good to Firm in places tag is your friend when you're looking at five and six-furlong sprinters who want a bit of zip underfoot, and the longer-distance handicappers on the mile-plus trips had enough give to keep things honest. All in all, a proper racing surface. No excuses today.
The Feature Race: The Wilmot-Smith Memorial Handicap (Class 3, 6f)
The Wilmot-Smith Memorial Handicap over six furlongs was the race of the day, and if you weren't watching the 15:54 at Pontefract racecard, well, more fool you. Eighteen thousand pounds on the line, a Class 3 contest, and a field that had genuine depth from top to bottom.
Dark Cloud Rising (Daniel Tudhope, rated 94) was the one everyone was talking about going in, and rightly so. Course and distance form, a rating that puts him clear at the top of the weights, and Tudhope in the saddle — the man is simply one of the best jockeys in the north right now and you'd be a fool to dismiss that combination. On Good to Firm ground over six furlongs at Ponte, he was entitled to go off favourite and the market duly obliged.
But here's where it gets interesting. Commanche Falls (Connor Beasley, rated 91) also brings course and distance form to the table, and at just three pounds below the top weight, he's a horse that's been knocking on the door all season. Beasley is a man who knows this track like the back of his hand — he's ridden winners here for fun — and I'd never be in a hurry to dismiss him at a track like this where rhythm and positioning matter enormously.
Grant Wood (Jason Hart, rated 77) was the one I had a soft spot for at the weights. Seventeen pounds below Dark Cloud Rising on official ratings, course and distance form in the book — if the handicapper has left him in at a lenient mark, Hart is more than capable of exploiting it. Don't be put off by the rating; sometimes the most interesting horse in a race is the one lurking at the bottom of the weights with a bit of unexposed form.
Novice Stakes: The Youngsters Worth Watching
The opening Irish Stallion Farms EBF Novice Stakes at 14:24 gave us a look at some unraced or lightly-raced juveniles over six furlongs, and this is exactly the type of race that fills your notebook for the autumn. War Gaming (Cieren Fallon, rated 79) was the one with an official mark coming in, which tells you the handicapper has already seen enough to form a view — and at 79, there's room to progress in both directions. Fallon junior is a jockey on the rise and he doesn't take mounts lightly.
The fillies' equivalent at 14:54 — the Napoleons Casino and Restaurant Leeds Fillies' Novice Stakes — had Queen Sana (Daniel Tudhope, rated 69) as the most exposed runner in the field. A rating of 69 in a novice company suggests she's been around the block once or twice, but Tudhope picking up the ride is a significant booking. Trainers don't ring Daniel Tudhope when they fancy a quiet day out. Keep her in mind.
The One That Really Caught My Eye
Secret Harvest in the fillies' novice, ridden by Cieren Fallon and unrated — now there's an interesting one. No public form to go on, which means either she's a maiden who's been doing her talking at home, or connections are dipping a toe in the water. Either way, Fallon on an unraced filly at a track like Pontefract is worth a note in the margin.
Handicap Intrigue: The Ones to Follow
The Weatherbys Bloodstock Pro Fillies' Handicap over five furlongs at 15:24 was a tight little sprint, and Angel Numbers (James Sullivan, rated 74) came in as the top-rated runner with course and distance form. Five furlongs at Pontefract is a sharp, unforgiving test — you need a horse that jumps out and travels, and Sullivan is a competent handler of that type.
Marajito (Oisin McSweeney, rated 68) is one I'd keep a very close eye on going forward. Course, distance, and the C&D flag tells you she's been here and done it before at this level. Six pounds below the top-rated, and if McSweeney can get her into a rhythm on this ground, she's the type that could pop up at a bigger price somewhere down the line.
Over in the mile-and-a-bit North Yorkshire Ice Cream Championship Handicap at 16:24, Poet's Dawn (Sean Kirrane, rated 68) catches the eye with course and distance form at the bottom of the weights. Kirrane is underrated as a jockey — I'll say it plainly — and a horse with proven form over the trip at this very track, running off a mark of 68, is precisely the kind of each-way shout that makes the sport worth following.
Everyoneknowsadave — and yes, that name is absolutely magnificent, someone give that owner a medal — comes in with Ryan Kavanagh up and course and distance form at a rating of 76. He's the market leader on ratings but the name alone deserves a mention in any review.
Looking Ahead: Where Do These Horses Go Next?
If Dark Cloud Rising ran well in the Wilmot-Smith Memorial, you'd expect connections to look at something like the competitive six-furlong handicaps at York's Ebor Festival later in August — he's exactly the type of horse that fits those big-field northern handicaps, and a rating of 94 puts him right in the mix without being priced out.
War Gaming and the novice winners from the opening races will likely head to nursery company once they've got their handicap marks, and the autumn juvenile programme at tracks like Haydock and Doncaster will suit several of them down to the ground.
Keep an eye on the Pontefract racecard results as they filter through — the form out of Ponte's summer cards has a habit of working out, and today's card felt like one of those afternoons where two or three horses have quietly put their hands up for something better.
Final Word
Look, it wasn't Cheltenham Gold Cup day, and nobody's pretending otherwise. But Pontefract on a sunny August Monday with Good to Firm ground and a card like this? There are worse ways to spend an afternoon, and there are certainly worse cards to have in your notebook. Dark Cloud Rising, Poet's Dawn, Marajito — write those names down and don't say Tom O'Brien never gave you anything.
Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a pint going warm and a Class 6 mile handicap result to check. Scheffler in the last — named after the golfer presumably — didn't win me anything, but at least the name made me smile. That's Pontefract for you. Never a dull moment.
