2:57 Pontefract Tips

Kept on when 3rd of 11 over this trip at Newcastle on stable debut for Roger Fell last month, and improvement is very likely on the second start for the new yard.

Harry Eustace is in good form. Uppercase ran well at Pontefract last July and has been off the track for 259 days. Travis Ford claims 7, so if Uppercase is fit and has trained on, he must have a decent chance.

Zowal returned this season in the Spring Mile Handicap at Doncaster, finishing 6th of 22, beaten 8¼ lengths by Mezcala off 77. That race looks stronger than this, with the first four all rated 80+, and Zowal was 1½ lengths clear of the 7th, a horse now rated 85 ??' suggesting the effort was more solid than it may first appear. There isn’t a huge amount of depth to his profile, but there are signs of ability. He won a maiden over 1 mile by 1¼ lengths, beating Clouds Hill, who is now rated 82. He has also shown some promise earlier in his career with placed efforts in France. The key angle here is potential improvement from that seasonal reappearance. If he can build on that Doncaster run, he looks well treated, especially having been dropped 2 lb and now moving into a Class 5 handicap. In what appears a weaker race, this could be a good opportunity for him to take a step forward, and he may prove hard to beat if progressing as expected.

8 of 9 career wins have been on the all-weather. Has only had 8 starts on turf, winning once and placing twice. Holds an each-way chance.