We head to Pontefract for the first division of the 6f Class 4 Jayne - On Course Lady Bookmaker EBF Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) where Bay Of Australia makes plenty of appeal at 8/1. Although the market would suggest that debut second Rainwater is a sure thing, the price of Bay Of Australia offers a good reason to oppose the favourite.
The two-year-old returns to six furlongs following a fourth at Catterick over a shorter trip, where he struggled to produce a finishing kick and stayed on dourly. The son of Inns Of Court placed second on debut over six furlongs at Ripon despite ducking right at the start and his racecourse experience could be of benefit in a field where only one other runner has visited the track more than once.
SELECTION – BAY OF AUSTRALIA (8/1)
We remain with the two-year-olds for the second division of the 6f Class 4 Jayne - On Course Lady Bookmaker EBF Maiden Stakes (GBB Race) at Pontefract where Classy Boy appears capable of overturning the 10/11 favourite Point Given.
He faced a stiff task on debut at Doncaster over six furlongs and struggled for room in the final furlong, receiving a bump but still ran on to finish third. Although the Calyx colt made no impression on the winner and was beaten four-and-a-half lengths, he will have learnt plenty in a race that did not unfold as jockey Sam James would have liked. Clifford Lee gets aboard with a current strike rate of 26% from the last fourteen days and trainer Karl Burke enjoyed another two-year-old winner on Tuesday.
SELECTION – CLASSY BOY (13/8)
Moving to Bath, the five pound claim of Alex Voikhansky could be a welcome relief for top-weight Symbol Of Hope in the 5½f Class 6 BresBet Proudly Supports British Racing Handicap. The apprentice jockey is in flying form with three wins from eleven rides (27%) in the last fortnight and Symbol Of Hope is his only ride on the card.
The five-year-old has an enviable record at the track with five victories and a further five placings from thirteen runs. He ran well again over course and distance last week and was only beaten one-and-a-quarter lengths on the line on good-to-soft ground, which the gelding will encounter again. Symbol Of Hope is clearly a tricky customer who tends to be taken down to post early and it only takes conditions to fall right for him to get his head in front.
SELECTION – SYMBOL OF HOPE (11/2)
