West Yorkshire boasts this afternoon's feature meeting with an excellent seven-race card at Pontefract highlighted by the Fillies' Listed Stakes over a mile and nine members of the farer sex heading to post for the £40,000 contest. The race looks to revolve around a trio of southern raiders with Roger Charlton's Temptress (3.10) marginally preferred over Charlie Hills' Queen Catrine and Marco Botti's Pelerin.
The selection boasts a progressive profile and built on winning reappearance under James Doyle at Ascot to chase home GM Hopkins under the same jockey when second in the Royal Hunt Cup at the royal meeting last month. The handicapper has raised the daughter of Shirocco 5lb for that effort and she is taken to further her progression even further now upped in grade and Pat Dobbs replacing ‘The Doyler' in the plate. Pelerin won on her second start last term and she can battle it out for the minors with Queen Catrine, the latter bidding to bounce back after finishing a disappointing second last time out under Andrea Atzeni in the jockey's native Italy.
Dobbs has an excellent book of rides this afternoon and can land the opener aboard Ralph Beckett's Sandahl (2.10) in the 6f Nursery. The selection showed promise in a Nottingham maiden on debut, staying on strongly to finish fourth over the minimum trip, and following-up over a furlong extra in a warm maiden last month at York. The second, third, fourth and fifth have all won on their subsequent starts and the well-bred gelding is a confident selection to make it 2/2 over the 6f trip.
Dobbs can seal an excellent day's work aboard Roger Charlton's Equity Risk (3.40) in the 6f Handicap for older horses, hopefully sealing a double for the Beckhampton-handler in the process. The 5-y-o has clearly had his problems, having made it to a racetrack just 6 times in the past 20 months, however was well-backed prior to making his seasonal debut last month at Windsor. The gelding travelled well before tiring in the closing stages however that run should have put him cherry-ripe for this afternoon's contest and he should remain competitive from unrevised mark.
James Fanshawe's Smooth Operator (4.10) was backed like defeat was out of the question last time out at Redcar and despite finishing a disappointing third on the day, can make amends under Graham Lee this afternoon. The selection sets a fair standard on his brace of efforts over ten furlongs and should be able to make it third time lucky accordingly.
There's summer jumping from Uttoxeter where 3lb conditional Nick Slatter can hopefully unlock the answer to Keys (6.10) bidding the shed the bridesmaid tag over timber after finishing a runner-up on his last five starts in the sphere. The selection was turned over at odds-on on his last start over hurdles at Ayr in the spring and despite disappointing on the flat subsequently can get the better of Neil King's Regulation, bidding to concede 7lb to Tony Carroll's charge.
Tony Martin's Irish raider Five O'Clock Tea is a fascinating runner in the handicap chase over the minimum trip with Richard Johnson booked in the plate however Ulis De Vassy (7.45) looks potentially chucked-in under a 7lb penalty after scoring over course and distance nine days ago. The selection was making his debut for the team of Dan and Harry Skelton after leaving Nick Williams and showed no ill-effects of being out for the best part of four and a half months, dotting up by 23 lengths and as such is a confident selection to follow-up that facile success with likewise in the Midlands.
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