Horse racing tips for Monday: Ross Millar's Pontefract bets

An enjoyable weekend of racing, with two big performances in Ireland the main attraction.

On Saturday, Bluestocking finally gained a much-deserved Group One win in the as she showed tremendous guts to finally overhaul the daringly-ridden Emily Upjohn in the shadows of the post. As a backer, it didn’t make for comfortable viewing and I was certain Kieran Shoemark had stolen the race off the home turn. 

Happily, though, Emily Upjohn was unable to sustain her effort and, under the excellent Rossa Ryan, Bluestocking found plenty for pressure. Connections have nominated the Nassau Stakes as her next target, with her trainer Ralph Beckett hinting that the cheekpieces that were omitted for Saturday’s win might well be re-installed. 

I was saddened (if not surprised) to see a number of the usual suspects criticising Kieran Shoemark on social media in the immediate aftermath of the race as I thought he gave Emily Upjohn an excellent ride. Shoemark has been in fine form recently, with seven winners from his past 37 rides. I’m sure the lack of a high-profile winner since becoming number one rider to the Gosden yard is starting to weigh on his shoulders, but he’s overcome bigger challenges than this, and will land one before the summer is over. 

Regards Emily Upjohn, I’d suggest it’s simply the case that at five years of age, she isn’t quite as good as she once was.

The also delivered an exciting race on Sunday. Although still demonstrating traits of his Camelot parentage, Los Angeles was marginally better in the prelims and saw out the trip stoutly under a perfectly-judged ride by Ryan Moore. 

Similarly to the Pretty Polly on Saturday, backers of beaten favourite Ambiente Friendly can have no complaints. Rav Havlin tracked the winner through the race and looked to be coming with a winning run, before the suspect stamina of his strong-travelling partner faltered close home. 

Sunway repaid his trainer David Menusier’s faith with a strong effort to finish second. I’m sure we’ll see Ambiente Friendly drop back in trip to ten furlongs for the rest of this season, while Los Angles is yet another likely St Leger candidate for Ballydoyle.

The one downside to the weekend was seeing the frankly farcical situation that allowed the currently suspended Tony Martin feature heavily in the celebrations when his ‘former’ charge Alphonse Le Grande won the Northumberland Vase, with winning rider Hollie Doyle even reporting that it was Martin himself who delivered her riding instructions. It makes a total mockery of our sport and gives the impression that authorities are perhaps more interested in being seen to serve punishments than they are with adequately enforcing them. It’s one of a few areas that we must get better at. This topic was also discussed on Luck On Sunday (watch below).

I enjoyed good success with my latest stint tipping at on Wednesday, with three winners from three selections, so I’m hoping for similar luck on Monday. I have three selections, and you can watch all the action live on Racing TV.

George Boughey has many talents that mark him out as an excellent trainer but, in my opinion, chief among them is his ability to place his horses. In an era where it’s rare for horses to rack up winning sequences, he seems to be able to often pull off such a feat.

Lennon arrives here in search of a hat-trick with two wins inside the past fifteen days, at Bath and then at this track a week ago.

His latest victory came over a mile and, despite winning by only a neck, he was value for more given he was forced to race wide into the home straight. His finishing effort was powerful, so this step up in trip to ten furlongs should bring about further improvement, too. 

Jack Callan is yet to ride a winner under rules, but as with many young riders, he’s gained plenty of experience in the pony racing ranks.

Lennon is particularly well in at the weights, and is effectively running off a mark of 58. Providing he’s sufficiently recovered from his latest win, he can continue his progression and strike again.

Ardeur will likely be sent off a short-priced favourite for this, based upon how visually impressive her course and distance win, in early June, was. However, it’s debatable whether the form amounts to much as the second filled the same spot on her next start, while the third finished a tailed off last on her next outing.

I’d much prefer to chance the George Boughey-trained Sunshine Soul, despite the fact she underperformed at York when last seen. Initially, I wondered whether the turnaround of just nine days from her first start had worked against her, although connections reported that the slower underfoot conditions were not to her liking that day, and that she’d prefer a faster surface. Her dam's sire is Golden Horn, so there’s certainly reason to think that was the case.

She now returns to a good to firm surface, as it was when she made a highly promising debut at Nottingham over five furlongs when finishing second. Time has shown that she bumped into an above average rival on that occasion as the winner there, Leovanni, ran out a ready winner of the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot on her next start.

She ran right through the line at Nottingham, so this extra furlong should suit and there is plenty of stamina on the dam's side of her pedigree as well.

The selection has had 17 days to recover from her latest reversal, and now back on a quicker surface, she should bounce back to form.

I tipped Aviemore on his latest start at Carlisle, where I thought he had a reasonable chance of overturning the odds-on favourite. That didn’t prove to be the case, but I believe she emerged with real credit whe going down fighting in second.

That was in a novice contest over nine furlongs and I’m prepared to keep the faith on her first handicap start off what I think is a workable mark of 79.

The winner from the Carlisle race, Condor Pasa, has earned a rating of 88 so, given they raced off level weights, and there was under four lengths between them, there is every chance Aviemore is better than his rating.

This drop back in trip should suit, too, as she raced keenly at Carlisle and had to make most of the running before weakening inside the final furlong, so this trip might prove more feasible.

My one minor worry would be quicker ground; she’s by Kodiac out of a Pivotal mare and does move with a relatively high knee action, but often first time out on quicker ground, such issues aren’t as relevant, so I’m prepared to take my chance.