Sunday Pontefract Placepot Tips from Architect

If you found a winning Placepot perm on the final day of Royal Ascot yesterday, you deserve a huge round of applause as the dividend paid a huge £36,295.80! If you backed directly via http://tote.co.uk/, the Tote+ dividend was £38,110.59 thanks to the extra 5% top up which can be found in the image below. 

With Royal Ascot now behind us, we head to Pontefract for the Sunday Series in today’s Placepot pool, where a minimum of £100K is in the starting fund. I am fairly optimistic about today’s column, so if you do follow, I wish you best of luck and have a great rest of your weekend. 

Leg 1 Selections: Whoop Whoop

WHOOP WHOOP has been the subject of strong overnight market support and rightfully so given her debut fourth has a more than positive look to it and is a worthy favourite to take the opener for King Power Racing, who were 4-12 at this course last year, yielding a profit of £6.75 to £1 level stakes. 

She did plenty wrong on her debut in which she was slow into stride and ran green but wasn’t beaten far behind the winner, Relief Rally, and second, Juniper Berries, who subsequently finished in that order in the Group 2 Queen Mary at Royal Ascot earlier this week. 

That is evidently the best form on offer and she ran well over this distance at Kempton when last seen. Ralph Beckett’s filly sets a clear standard and should have too much quality for chief market rival, Mauna Loa, who needs plenty more to topple the favourite. 

Leg 2 Selections: Forceful Speed, Oneforthegutter

What a week it has been for AMO Racing at Royal Ascot and the good run of form could continue here with FORCEFUL SPEED. These owners are 7-12 at this course over the past five seasons, which accumulates to a 58% win strike-rate and an impressive profit of £23.78 to £1 level stakes. 

The George Boughey-trained three-year-old won twice last year, including over course-and-distance from only a pound lower mark and shaped very well on his reappearance at Doncaster, where he travelled well for a long way before a lack of match-practice was evident and he finished fifth. 

It’s possible the ground was too testing as well, so the return to better ground, back at his last winning course, coupled with a first-time hood/tongue strap could bring about further improvement. William Buick will take the ride and if his mount is able to get a prominent pitch early on, it is hard to see him out of the frame. 

Ian Williams, Richard Kingscote and owners came close in the Queen Alexandra at Royal Ascot yesterday with The Grand Visir and they have a good chance in this contest with ONEFORTHEGUTTER, who is now operating from a career-low mark and will be fitter from his Chester comeback. 

The last two times he competed over this trip on identical ground was when fourth of 12 at York in a Class 2 off a mark of 92 and when sixth of 13 at Epsom last year off 100. Down to a mark of 87, dropped in grade, he could make a bold effort despite the burden of top-weight. 

Leg 3 Selections: One Evening, Caius Chorister

A case could be made for most of the runners in the third race but ONE EVENING was the only filly of the three in this contest lacking a run in the Bronte Cup at York and travelled best for much of the race on the front end until weakening into fifth. That run should have blown away the cobwebs and she is Rab Havlin’s only runner on the card. She has solid place claims at the very least with this course sure to play to her strengths. 

CAIUS CHORISTER won five on the bounce last year and has turned in respectable runner-up efforts in both starts this year at her beloved Epsom. David Menuisier's very useful and likeable filly is drawn well in stall 1 to attack early and gets her conditions, too. She is up in grade but if she’s going to win a pattern-class event, it could be this contest with everything to suit. 

Leg 4 Selections: Flint Hill, Haizoom

Graham Lee has a great record at this course, especially from a profit perspective, as if you backed every single one of his rides here over the last five years, you would have made a profit of £47.43 from £1 level stakes. 

He rides course specialist FLINT HILL, who has three wins and three seconds from 11 starts at this course and was beaten just a neck from a pound higher mark in this race last year. He hasn’t quite been at his best in two starts this year but no doubt connections have had his race on his agenda again. 

The seven-year-old is only a pound higher than his last winning mark and is two pounds lower than when successful over track and trip. He has plenty going for him and is drawn really well in stall 1. I think he is going to take the world of beating off this mark back at his favourite course. 

HAIZOOM is another runner I want to keep on side for this column, especially as a backup to the former, as he resumed winning ways at Ripon last time and is a pound lower than when fourth in this race last year. I expect Flint Hill to confirm his superiority but if he doesn’t, this horse could pick up the pieces. 

Leg 5 Selections: Fox Journey, Carrigillihy

Given King Power Racing’s impressive strike-rate at this course, which I alluded to earlier in the piece and Sir Michael Stoute’s 27% strike-rate at this course overall (77-284), FOX JOURNEY is one of my strongest picks on the card. 

He made a successful handicap debut at Newmarket last month, easily beating Mighty River by nearly three lengths, who has subsequently returned a next-time-out winner off a mark of 87. 

Surely on that basis, the former is thrown in here off 85 plus Harry Davies takes off an additional three pounds as well. He ran very well when sixth of 13 in a Class 2 at Epsom behind Torito and is eased in grade. 

With more to come, over this longer distance, this son of Roaring Lion should have the attributes to make it two wins from three starts this year. He is surely better than this grade and this mark on the evidence of his form.  

CARRIGILLIHY saves his best for this course, who’s won four of his five starts here and is three-time course-and-distance winner. He lost his unbeaten record here two weeks ago but he cannot be written off and is drawn well in stall 5 as well. He is a good horse here and should go well. 

Leg 6 Selections: Silver Sword, Craven

SILVER SWORD has been extremely consistent of late, with a win and two seconds from his last three starts. He ran a tremendous race on his handicap debut at Epsom last-time-out when only finding Torito too good. This is a significant drop in grade and he’s open to plenty more improvement on just his third start and is drawn well in 2. He has excellent claims of beating Concorde. 

CRAVEN is also worth an interest at massive odds, who finished second in his first two starts last year, including when a length behind Cold Case, who’s now rated 108. A repeat of that form would give him a great chance despite his odds suggesting otherwise and he shaped well when fourth of 14 at York last month. He is dangerous to rule out from a mark of 73.