Tuesday tips: Dave Nevison's best bets at Pontefract

Marhaba Ghaiyyath has been unplaced on each of his latest three starts, but those runs do not put me off his chances in this at all. He is well worthy of being top weight in this 0-100 handicap and could land this before embarking on a summer campaign in the big heritage handicaps.

He looked as though he was on his way to contesting Group races when running second at Newmarket’s July Festival and the Goodwood Festival. There are legitimate excuses on those unplaced runs, he was out of his ground in a race that lacked pace at York, was ridden too forcefully in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket on his final start last season, and came back after six months with an encouraging, but not trouble-free run on his reappearance.

He is described as one who is progressing physically and, if he comes on for that reappearance effort, he can land this race before he moves on to bigger things.

Karl Burke won two Group Three contests last weekend and has clearly started the season in the good form he held for most of last year. Diamont Katie is one of the yard's lesser lights, but there is a case for her here.

She is running for the first time since having had a wind operation and she is well drawn in stall four, and the horses drawn inside of her are generally slow starting hold-up performers. Therefore, there looks to be a good chance of her getting an easy lead, which also looks a plus.

Jack Nicholls is certainly worth a look and value for his 5lb claim and is on a filly now running off her lowest ever handicap mark.

Louise Allan has got two good runs out of Different Drum over hurdles recently having switched the gelding to handicaps, including a win at Carlisle last time out. It was at the same track that this horse ran his best race previously on the Flat and he is clearly very well suited by a track with a stiff uphill finish.

It looks highly likely that Pontefract will suit him at least as well, if not more than Carlisle. He arrives here fit and in-form and can extend his winning run to the Flat given the extreme test here.