Jamie Spencer hasn’t given up hopes of regaining the jockeys’ championship and has several excellent chances of reducing the deficit of six at Pontefract this afternoon; Geordieland should be a ‘penalty-kick’ in the Phil Bull Stakes over two-and-a-quarter miles.
Geordieland has chased home Yeats and two other Aidan O’Brien ‘super-stars’ but has nothing of that calibre to contend with on this occasion.
Obviously, Geordieland will start at prohibitive odds but Paradise Dancer looks a cracking ‘professional ‘special’ each-way bet in the concluding Maiden Stakes over a mile.
Probability is that Jamie will ride Pat Eddery’s charge positively, sorting out the wheat from the chaff; it works well at this venue and such tactics could make it tough for strongly-fancied Sonning Star and Handset.
Eddery has been patient, it’s paying off and Paradise Dancer ran his best to date on the Wolverhampton polytrack eighteen days ago.
Earlier, Spencer rides No Page for Barry Hills’s in-form yard in the thirteen-runner nursery over six furlongs.
Thrice-raced No Page is much better than form figures suggest and though one or two others are sure to be well-backed on the strength of solid performances, I’ll play the place.
There’s also racing scheduled for Wolverhampton and Windsor where John Gosden-trained Rochefort can retrieve recent losses in the opening Maiden Stakes over an extended mile.
On the time-handicap, Rochefort is clear ‘best-in’ from Hit The Roof and City Stable but the last-named is expected to improve on a promising debut; it’s trained by Sir Michael Stoute!
Mick Channon also continues to churn out the winners and Thunder Bay could well be another for him in the ten-runner nursery over five furlongs.
Selections, Pontefract, 2.40 No Page (e.w); 5.10 Paradise Dancer (e.w); Windsor, 2.30 Rochefort; 3.00 Thunder Bay (nap).
