Monday tips: four fancies for Pontefract and Windsor

An opening mark of 79 may underestimate Pebble Island, especially as he makes his handicap bow in a race lacking similarly unexposed types. 

The Cracksman colt, out of a Dubawi mare who has already produced a couple of useful performers, did not cut much ice in a novice event at Windsor last time, although being held up in rear in a race run at a relatively steady tempo was never going to help him on what was his third outing. 

On his previous start, when reappearing at Redcar, he had run well to split Big Leader (now rated 91) and the long odds-on Crown Of Oaks, with the 85-rated Spy Kingdom well adrift in fourth. 

That effort points to the half-brother of Bold Act (he is rated 110) and Dazzling Star (96) being well-treated, and clearly he is open to plenty more improvement. Moreover, Simon and Ed Crisford runners at Pontefract always warrant a second look. They’ve had eight winners from 23 runners at the track (plus five seconds) and you would be £21.58 in profit had you backed them all blind to a £1 stake. 

Cosmos Raj and Mount King are feared most, although the former is weighted up to his best, while the latter may well be over bet after his unlucky run here last time. 

Dash Power has had far more stable switches (five) than wins (one) on his CV but he’s back under the wing of Lawrence Mullaney and his best efforts have been for the yard. 

That included his latest effort at Yarmouth when he was beaten a head by Banksman, a three-year-old who was in receipt of 11lb and has since followed up with authority at Lingfield. The fourth home, Lambourghini, another three-year-old, has also gained a subsequent win at Chepstow. 

They went overly fast in the early stages in that Yarmouth race and as a consequence Dash Power did well to hang in there given that he was exposed to the heat of the battle. His Finishing Speed Percentage of just over 96% was the best in the field. 

This does not look like being run at such a fierce gallop – there are no habitual trail-blazers in this - and the two three-year-olds in this line-up have achieved little. I’m hoping Dash Power can adopt a handy position from his favourable low draw before possibly getting first run under Rossa Ryan, who is omn board him for the first time. 

Fire Eyes will be popular after his eye-catching run at Newcastle last week but he’s habitually held up and is drawn wide. That will be compounded if there is not an end-to-end gallop. 

Speed Of Maajid has been forced into a higher grade of race after his emphatic all-the-way win on his fourth start/handicap bow at Yarmouth last time but can prove equal to the task. 

The assessor has hit him with a 9lb rise for that success, achieved in a decent time for the level, but he was clearly on a lenient mark (62) for his trip to the seaside track and there should be more to come now that he is up and running. 

He had split Lexington Blitz (now rated 87) and Frankies Dream (84) in a novice event at Chepstow in September, so there was always the chance he had been under-rated. 

Cowell knows the family of this gelding well – he trained the dam and her three other offspring – and will no doubt be hoping Speed Of Majid can at least emulate his half-sister, Angle Land, another speedster who was rated 84 a couple of years ago. 

This well-related son of Wootton Bassett – a half-brother to Pablo Escobarr and Roberto Escobarr among others – is difficult to oppose after his tenacious win in a ten-furlong handicap in a race exclusively for three-year-olds at York at the end of last month. 

That looked a strong race of its kind, and the form has been boosted, with fourth and sixth gaining subsequent victories. 

Connections mentioned the Golden Gates at Ascot for him after that success but he instead resurfaces in much shallow waters, just 2lb higher than at York and in a lower-grade race against mainly older and more exposed opposition. 

Dante’s Lad went off 18-1 at York but unfortunately, we are not going to get similar odds on Monday evening. I can see him going off at odds-on under Billy Loughnane, though, and the early 11-8 on offer looks fair.