Pontefract Tips: Tuesday 2 June 2026

Pontefract Tips: Tuesday 2 June 2026

A six-race card at Pontefract on good ground, with light rain in the air adding a touch of cut that will suit certain types. The track’s undulating nature and stiff finish rewards horses with stamina and a good cruising speed, and that shapes how we approach the maiden and handicap action here. With the Epsom Derby just four days away, the big yards are keeping their powder dry for Downs day, but there’s still money to be made if you read the form right.

2:48 Gieves And Hawkes Maiden Stakes (1m2f)

Four runners, but this is not as straightforward as the market might suggest. Alma Latina trades as the 4/5 favourite at Boyle Sports and Betfred, and Ralph Beckett’s yard is posting a 27% strike rate at this course over the long run. On any other day, the drift to odds-on would make sense for a filly out of a 1m2f Listed winner who has run with clear promise twice over this trip.

The angle, though, is with According To Mark at 10/11 with Boyle Sports and Betfred. Edward Bethell’s yard is not firing at its sharpest right now (3/26 in the last 14 days), but this horse’s profile is genuinely interesting. He caught the eye on his only two-year-old start and went agonisingly close at Redcar over this same 1m2f trip on reappearance. Crucially, the horse who beat him has since run well in the Chester Vase, which is solid form behind a horse pitching into Group company. Callum Rodriguez takes the ride and this trip on good ground looks ideal. He has a higher RPR than Alma Latina on paper and the trainer’s course record (19% strike rate, A/E of 1.12) gives further encouragement.

Selection: According To Mark at 10/11 (Boyle Sports/Betfred). The boosted form gives him every right to go very close.

3:18 HBC Construction EBF Maiden Stakes (6f, 2yo)

Eight first-time-out juveniles over six furlongs. These races are always a guessing game, but the breeding and sales data narrow it down considerably. No RPR or TS figures to lean on, so pedigree and price are everything.

Raslan Each-Way at 5/2 with Betfred and LiveScore Bet is the one who gets the vote. By New Bay, he is the first foal of a mare who won twice as a two-year-old, including at Group 3 level over five and six furlongs, and she was rated 110 at her peak. That is exactly the profile you want in a six-furlong juvenile maiden: a dam who was precocious and speedy, with Group-class ability already embedded in the pedigree. Richard and Peter Fahey know their juveniles and the yard has been ticking along at a reasonable clip (5/51 in the last 14 days). If the market speaks positively at the off, he becomes compelling.

Boleto at 9/4 (Betfred/LiveScore Bet) deserves respect too. A Wootton Bassett colt from a half-sister to two Group 1 winners in Broome and Diego Velazquez, he cost £105,000 at the yearling sale. Clive Cox rarely sends one north without confidence. But the dam side is a mile-plus family ultimately, and six furlongs on debut might catch him slightly cold.

Avionics, despite Andrew Balding’s quality operation and an eye-catching breeze-up price of 150,000gns, is a Kodi Bear half-brother to horses who stayed seven furlongs to a mile-plus. Six furlongs feels sharp for him on debut.

Selection: Raslan at 5/2 each-way. Precocious dam, Fahey knows how to place a juvenile, and the trip fits the profile perfectly.

3:48 GV Co Property Consultants Handicap (6f)

Ten runners in a 6f handicap. Three places each-way at 1/5 odds, and the field is competitive enough to justify going each-way on anything above 6/1.

The standout angle here is The Good Biscuit at 4/1 with Boyle Sports and Betfred. Ruth Carr’s yard is quiet at the moment (1/31 in the last 14 days), which is the one hesitation, but this horse’s Pontefract form is exceptional. Two wins here in 2025 and a close second this spring. This track genuinely suits him, and while last time was below par, the Spotlight flags that as an aberration within an otherwise consistent recent sequence. Warren Fentiman takes the three-pound claim, which effectively brings him in at a competitive weight against his rivals. Good ground is fine for him. Bounce-back candidate at a workable price.

Bravo Zulu at 7/2 is the other main danger. He ran well dropped to 6f at Redcar last week (half-length second on good to firm) which is encouraging given his usual stamina-based trips. David Loughnane’s yard has been active and in decent form (3/19). He cannot be ruled out but 7/2 may not offer enough given the unknown factor of whether the shorter trip truly suits.

Emperor Caradoc Each-Way at 8/1 with Boyle Sports is worth a small each-way interest. On a career-high mark but ran with credit last time bidding for a double, and his Pontefract record is described as largely consistent. Paul Midgley’s yard is cold right now (0/19), which is a concern, but at 8/1 there is each-way value in a ten-runner field.

Selection: The Good Biscuit at 4/1 (Boyle Sports/Betfred). Course form is the decisive factor here.

Today’s NAP

According To Mark — Gieves And Hawkes Maiden Stakes (2:48, Pontefract)
Odds: 10/11 — Boyle Sports (others: 10/11 Betfred, 10/11 LiveScore Bet)

The form behind According To Mark has been given genuine substance by the Chester Vase run of the horse who beat him at Redcar. That is solid trial form for a horse stepping into a four-runner maiden on a track where Edward Bethell posts strong course figures. Alma Latina has prospects, but at near-identical odds, According To Mark’s boosted race form tips the balance. A horse who went close in that company should not be left at the starting price here.