A Sunday split across three tracks, with Brighton giving us the spine of the day and Pontefract offering the prices for anyone who fancies a bit more on the return. Hexham fills in the jumps and we have a couple there worth your time too. Five of our eleven are short enough to lean on, the other six need a leap of faith, and that is the kind of card where picking your moments matters.
Start at Brighton, because that is where the confidence sits. Pentonville is the one we keep coming back to in the opener. He won last time out, the handicapper has finally stopped piling it on, and a low draw is exactly what you want round here. Boughey knows how to land one at this track and this looks his sort of race. Later on, Lucky Sevens is the bet we want to be on. The bare form figures read modestly but the runs behind them were better than they look, and with Loughnane up, a rider who goes well here, a small field over the right trip sets it up for him.
Koko Blue is the each-way angle at Brighton that we like. He keeps bumping into trouble and getting beaten by horses who go on to win their next start, so the plain numbers flatter to deceive. Mitchell takes the ride, the trip is ideal, and the mark is one he can work off.
Over at Pontefract the prices get interesting. Melissa Honey peaked at the right time when she won last time and her clock keeps improving, so she rates the one to beat in her sprint. Stall six gives her a fair shake and Tudhope has been there and done it at this track plenty of times. If you want the bigger price, Hiya Maite at double figures is the one. The form figures undersell her because she has met trouble more often than not, beaten by subsequent winners. The speed is back, the weight is dropping, and Edmunds gets a decent berth in stall seven.
Hexham brings the jumping, and Kientzheim is our strongest play there, the kind of horse you want onside when the ground and trip line up.
Yesterday gave us a frustrating sort of afternoon. No winner from four, but Time Loop and Lumenbourg both ran into the frame without quite getting their heads in front. Close, not converted.
Get your staking right today and let Brighton do the heavy lifting while Pontefract supplies the spice.