All of your UK racing tips for Tuesday’s meetings taking place at Pontefract, Wolverhampton and Exeter on 11 April 2023.
PONTEFRACT
Race 4 – ARECIBO 5/1
Veteran sprinter ARECIBO can get the better of several other familiar names to secure top honours in the fourth at Pontefract. Top-weight Dakota Gold, Justanotherbottle and Copper Knight are among Arecibo’s rivals in West Yorkshire, all of whom hold few secrets but are talented speedsters on their day. The advantage Arecibo holds over each of those, though, is race fitness, having already run twice since the turn of the year. Both outings came on the all-weather at Lingfield, with the eight-year-old finishing eighth in the Listed Hever Sprint Stakes in February before going down by a short head to the reopposing Live In The Dream on his return to handicap company last month. Live In The Dream is clearly a threat for the rematch on the turf, but Arecibo is better off at the weights and is fancied to exact his revenge and secure his first victory since 2021.
Race 6 – LEGACY POWER 13/8
On the same card, Andrew Balding can strike gold in the this competitive maiden stakes with the King Power-owned Time Test colt LEGACY POWER. The bay, whose dam Aurelia has produced four winners already, was second on debut when beaten a length and a half in a Lingfield maiden in February and holds a Derby entry. Normal improvement will make him very hard to beat as he transitions to the grass.
WOLVERHAMPTON
Race 3 – TAJAWAL 11/10
Wolverhampton punters are advised to put their faith in Simon and Ed Crisford’s TAJAWAL in the third. The Frankel colt will have gone into several notebooks after an eye-catching debut at Kempton in December as he was beaten only a neck despite looking badly in need of the experience. He should have a better idea of what is required at the second time of asking and looks to have been found an excellent opportunity to open his account.
EXETER
Race 6 – IOUPY COLLONGES 11/4
Paul Nicholls appears well placed to add to his tally at Exeter, with IOUPY COLLONGES a major contender for this handicap hurdle. The gelding has been exceptionally consistent in his first season for the champion trainer, winning twice and finishing second twice from four starts for the Million In Mind Partnership. He was put in his place by Ike Sport in a two-mile-three-furlong handicap hurdle at Taunton when last seen, but there is every chance a step up to the best part of three miles could help this former Irish pointer take his game to another level in the hands of 5lb claimer Ben Bromley.
Race 7 – SHANTOU FLYER 8/11
Nicholls should also be on the mark as an owner with admirable SHANTOU FLYER contesting the nightcap at Exeter. The 13-year-old, who is trained by Sam Loxton, gave the Ditcheat handler’s daughter Olive a fantastic spin when third in the St. James’s Place Festival Challenge Cup at the Cheltenham Festival last month and a reproduction of that run should suffice at this lower level.
