Pontefract, Sunday 26 July 2026 — Tips and Selections

Pontefract, Sunday 26 July 2026 — Tips and Selections

A sharp seven-race card at Pontefract on good to firm ground, and with Glorious Goodwood kicking off in just two days, the form here could prove informative for the week ahead. The going suits horses who travel well on top-of-the-ground, and the course’s turning mile-plus trips will sort out the stayers from the flatterers. Three races stand out for punters seeking genuine angles.

3:00 — BYD Wakefield British EBF Stallion Studs Maiden Stakes (5f, 2yo)

Seven juveniles over five furlongs on good to firm, and this is one where trainer course stats matter. John and Sean Quinn post a 23% strike rate at Pontefract with an A/E of 1.64, making them the most profitable yard at this track. Their runner The Mean Fiddler is a debutant on an unreliable market, but Quinn’s runners fresh at Pontefract are worth taking seriously at face value.

The bigger interest for me is Shaqra Queen at 9/4. K.R. Burke has sent out 10 winners from his last 34 runners over the past fortnight. That is a yard firing on all cylinders. Clifford Lee rides, and he posts an 18% strike rate at this course. Shaqra Queen is making her debut, which is the only unknown, but Burke’s two-year-old fillies on debut over sharp five-furlong tracks have a strong record, and the market has been moving her way. At 9/4 with LiveScore Bet on good to firm ground that suits speed types, she is the play.

Selection: Shaqra Queen at 9/4 (LiveScore Bet)

4:00 — William Hill Pomfret Stakes (Listed, 1m, 6 runners)

Listed class at a mile, and the market has settled around Holloway Boy at 8/11. The case for him is straightforward: K.R. Burke in form, Clifford Lee up top, and a horse who has been consistently placed at this level. Runner-up last time and three of his last six starts show a horse who finds a way into the frame. The issue is always converting those seconds into a win, and at 8/11 you need him to do exactly that.

The value sits with Cerulean Bay at 5/1 with Boyle Sports. He ran a solid second three starts back at this level, and while he has drifted to fifth and eighth since, the comment suggests he rates within a few pounds of the principals. David O’Meara’s yard is not flying at present (5/43 over 14 days) but Cerulean Bay’s best form is not far off what is needed here. At 5/1 versus 8/11 for the favourite in a six-runner field, the each-way case does not stack up sufficiently to recommend it formally, so I am taking him to win outright as the value play against a horse who keeps getting beaten at odds-on.

Selection: Cerulean Bay at 5/1 (Boyle Sports)

4:30 — Pontefract And District Golf Club Ltd Handicap Stakes (1m2f, 5 runners)

A five-runner handicap over a mile and two, and the form horse on recent runs is Jez Bomb at 6/5. Won two starts back, placed last time out, and Sam England’s yard has been ticking along reasonably. The short price reflects that he is clearly the one to beat.

Percy’s Daydream at 7/2 with Boyle Sports is the call. She rates the best of the field on figures, has two wins in her last six starts, and returns quickly on nine days’ turnaround, which typically suggests connections think she is in good nick. The modest fourths in her last two are the only caveat, but David O’Meara’s yard has enough firepower that quick turnarounds tend to mean something. At 7/2 against a 6/5 favourite, she represents proper each-way value in a small field, though five runners rules out a formal each-way recommendation. Take her to beat Jez Bomb outright.

Selection: Percy’s Daydream at 7/2 (Boyle Sports)

Today’s NAP

Shaqra Queen — BYD Wakefield British EBF Stallion Studs Maiden Stakes (3:00, Pontefract)
Odds: 9/4 — LiveScore Bet (others: 5/2 Boyle Sports)

K.R. Burke sends this filly out on debut at a course where his yard fires, good to firm ground that suits quick, athletic juveniles, and Clifford Lee in the saddle at 18% course strike rate. Burke has sent out 10 winners from 34 runners in the past fortnight, one of the hottest yards in training right now. Shaqra Queen is the market’s second choice behind a Quinn debutant, but Burke’s juvenile fillies over sharp sprint trips are a standing angle worth following all season.