Our first bet of the day is also our strongest as we side with the unexposed Comedy King in the ten-furlong handicap at 15:10. Comedy King is a full brother to Laughing, a dual Grade 1 winner in America, and a half-brother to Comic Strip - better known as the multiple Group 1-winning Hong Kong superstar Viva Pataca - and he has created a good impression during his blossoming career, improving on his debut effort to win at Newcastle. Comedy King put his experience to good use at Newcastle, where he travelled well, was produced to lead two furlongs out and found plenty under pressure to maintain the advantage. He moves into handicap company on a fair-looking mark and, as a three-year-old, is at an advantage against his elders, the weight-for-age allowance overly-generous at this stage of the season.
The listed mile-and-a-half Pontefract Castle Stakes (15:40) is the feature race of the day, and it can go the way of John Gosden's Freedom's Light. Freedom's Light is lightly raced for a four-year-old and she seems to be improving based on a career-best effort at Haydock last month, collared by an unexposed stable companion in the final stride. Freedom's Light had previously looked rough around the edges, by no means the finished article, but she impressed with her professionalism at Haydock and is well up to winning at this level. With her stable in excellent form and the likelihood of further improvement to come, Freedom's Light could prove difficult to beat.
The ten-furlong fillies' handicap at 16:40 has a competitive look to it, but handicap debutant By Jupiter has an attractive profile and warrants support. By Jupiter is a half-sister to the very smart Indian Ink and she produced an encouraging performance on her seasonal reappearance at Newbury, appreciating the step up to ten furlongs as she kept on in pleasing fashion to finish fourth. That Newbury effort was By Jupiter's third run, meaning that she now qualifies for a mark, and she seems to have been fairly treated by the assessor ahead of her handicap debut.
Timeform UK SmartPlays:
All at Pontefract
Back Comedy King @ 2.9215/8 in the 15:10
Back Freedom's Light @ 3.5551/20 in the 15:40
Back By Jupiter @ 4.57/2 in the 16:40
