General / Andrew Hughes / 21 June 2009 / Leave a Comment

Andrew Hughes is sorry to see the back of Ascot but looks forward to some exciting stuff from the likes of Pontefract, Newmarket and Windsor this week.

Sunday June 21

Pontefract

3:40 Pontefract Castle Stakes

This is an interesting mile-and-a-half Listed contest for older horses that should showcase this quirky Yorkshire course's undulating nature. A small field of entrants is expected but it may well include Karl Burke's admirable staying type, Furmigadelagiusta, occasional hurdler and winner of the competitive Jorvik Stakes at York's May meeting.

Thursday June 25

Newcastle

3:30 Seaton Delaval Handicap

A slow week is enlivened on Thursday by the opening day of the Northumberland Plate meeting, one of the best attended of the entire racing calendar. The pick of the first day's card, this Class Two handicap run over a mile is always keenly contested.

5:00 EBF Hoppings Stakes

A Listed event run over ten furlongs, it provides a tough test for some talented fillies and mares. The Newcastle course is a stiff one, with the steady incline to the winning post emphasising its relentlessly galloping nature. Barry Hills' Oaks third, High Heeled is an eye-catching entry.

Friday June 26

Newcastle

7:25 Piramal Healthcare Gosforth Park Cup

Day Two of the Northumberland Plate meeting is an evening card that is solid but not spectacular. This historic sprint is the highlight; a five furlong Class Two handicap in which a large field will charge up the galloping straight. Expect a lively betting market.

Saturday June 27

Curragh

3:40 Audi Pretty Polly Stakes

This is the second day of the Irish Derby meeting and features some top class action, most notably this Group One event for fillies and mares. At a little over ten furlongs and with a valuable prize on offer, it attracts the very best middle distance types from Britain and Ireland and with these horses having shown what they can do many times over, it should be a good race for punters.

4:15 At The Races Curragh Cup

A Group Three event that can be a tricky one for punters. Although it is run over a mile-and-three-quarters and should therefore be a proper staying contest, the small field can often result in a false pace and a slowly run race.

Newcastle

2:05 Chipchase Stakes

The best card of the meeting features this solid looking Group Three event. A six furlong sprint that may suit those horses that stay a little further, it should also attract some of the country's better sprinters, some of which will have been in action at Royal Ascot last week.

3:10 John Smith's Northumberland Plate

The highlight of the meeting, this is one of the richest handicaps in the world and still known in some quarters as 'The Pitman's Derby.' As you might expect for such a valuable race, there is a large field for what, at two miles, can be a gruelling contest. Betting is likely to be frenetic and you should keep your eye on the Betfair antepost market throughout the week.

Newmarket

2:20 Sunley Empress Stakes

Racing at Newmarket is always worth looking at for future prospects. This six furlong Listed contest for two-year-old fillies may not be the easiest of races from a punting perspective but it may provide clues for the Cherry Hinton or Lowther Stakes.

2:50 Fred Archer Stakes

An interesting Listed contest run over twelve furlongs that is sometimes targeted by Sir Michael Stoute for one of his older middle distance types.

3:25 John Bovington Memorial Criterion Stakes

The best race on the card, this Group Three over seven furlongs can sometimes attract a small field and may not always live up to its official class, but for all that, it should feature some battle-hardened specialists at this distance.

Windsor

3:00 Midsummer Stakes

Not to be overlooked, Windsor holds an interesting Saturday meeting, in which this Listed event is the pick of the races. At just under nine furlongs, the tight and twisting nature of this figure of eight track should favour the agile and the nimble rather than the hefty galloper.

3:35 Heritage Handicap

A six furlong Class Two event that is likely to feature many familiar sprinters, these sorts of events are invariably fiercely competitive and this one should be no exception.

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