Key Points
- Today’s betting tip was a real eye-catcher on debut
- He should have improved physically and mentally for his first run
- I think this track and this ground will play to his strengths
It’s Friday, and I’m back with another tip for you. There are six meetings to work with today: four on the Flat at Goodwood, Haydock, Bath and Pontefract, plus two over the Jumps at Worcester and Downpatrick. Today’s selection is running at Pontefract, and it’s not the type of race I’d usually pick, but at an each way price, I think this horse is worth a play.
If you don’t know already, I’m RacingGav, the resident horse racing expert here at Betting.co.uk, and I publish
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When you have a moment to spare, you might want to check through my other articles too. They include non-betting content like horses or trainers to follow, educational guides and big race trends! For those looking to develop their knowledge of this great sport, you’ll find plenty of inspiration with guides that cover everything from
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how track bias can influence a race. The latter is especially pertinent, as Pontefract is quite a quirky track that doesn’t suit all horses, making it an excellent example.
Betting advice
- 18:52 Pontefract -
Adoramus
@ 13/2 (3 places) -
0.5pt each way
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This trainer and jockey combo won on Monday!
Trainer Jack Morland and jockey Jonny Peate won a 6f race with Yachtsman on Monday, and today it’s the turn of Adoramus at Pontefract. This trainer/jockey combo is hot, and Adoramus looks like an excellent each way bet at a value price of 13/2.
Adoramus was a real eye-catcher on debut
Adoramus made his debut in a Restricted Novice Stakes at Lingfield at the end of last month over 6f. Sadly he showed his complete lack of experience straight away by being awkwardly and slowly away from the stalls. With the disadvantage of being drawn wide already thrown at him, that certainly didn’t improve his chances.
Adoramus had no choice but to race wide and in the rear of the field. He raced widest of all down the back straight and came under pressure as Jonny Peate tried to make a move. He was second last turning for home, with the wide trip costing him ground around the bend and he had to make his challenge four wide. He had a metaphorical mountain to climb and his chance was evidently over.
What really caught my eye is how he finished. As he passed the furlong pole, he was in sixth place, then the penny dropped. He knuckled down and powered past three rivals to finish in third. He showed a lot of promise shown in that final furlong and with a kinder draw and a better break from the stalls, he would have finished much closer. Interestingly, he produced the fastest final furlong of any horse in the race, including the winner. He also produced the fastest top speed and final speed. Furthermore, he ran +1.68 lengths more than the median distance based on all runners, whereas the winner ran -0.35 lengths. On that stat alone, you can mark his performance up by a couple of lengths.
Adoramus should have improved both physically and mentally for his first run
With any horse making their debut on the racetrack, you’re going to expect them to improve for the run. Mentally it is a brand new experience for them and like we saw with Adoramus, sometimes they can be all at sea in the early stages of the race before realising their job and showing what they can do. Especially for these sprinters, they can find it all happening too soon.
Whilst they will have some practice going into and coming out of the stalls, this is another first for them in a race environment when they make their debut and as we saw with Adoramus, he got it completely wrong. Hopefully now though, he’ll be away much more alertly and that will make a massive difference to his chances. Over these sprint trips, you often don’t have a chance to recover from a slow start, especially around a sharp track like Lingfield.
There is also the physical element to consider, it’s highly doubtful that Adoramus was fully tuned up by Jack Morland for his debut performance, as it was likely just viewed as his first day at school. With that run under his belt, he should be closer to peak condition and it’s very likely that Jack has been turning the screws more in his home work as well. All of this should help us see a more street wise and fitter version of Adoramus and at the age of two, he’ll be growing and strengthening all of the time as well.
I think this track and this ground will play to Adoramus’ strengths
Lingfield is a sharp track and it’s completely forgivable that Adoramus found it all happening too quickly for him in the early stages of his debut run. The fact he raced wide and was in the rear of the field after a slow start, only inconvenienced him even further. Ultimately horses that have tactical speed and a turn of foot are often favoured at the track. The winner showed good early speed to lead and nothing else was able to get involved. Given that, it was impressive that Adoramus was able to make ground from the rear of the field when the others couldn’t.
In complete contrast to Lingfield, Pontefract is a track with much more emphasis on stamina than speed. The final three furlongs are all uphill and as such, it can feel like a long way home at Pontefract, with the race often changing complexion throughout the home straight. With the way that Adoramus powered home at Lingfield, he should absolutely love the testing finish here and hopefully he can run on strongly past his rivals.
Pontefract is particularly testing when there is juice in the ground and we have exactly that here. We are yet to see Adoramus on any Turf surface, nevermind a Soft one, so we are gambling on him taking to it. However, with him being French bred and looking through his pedigree, he could be the type to relish it. If it’s quick ground here, it can pay to be drawn low and race prominently. With the ground as it is though, you could see runners coming from behind in the latter stages and they may even swing wide to come up the stands side rail. From stall six, which is in the middle of the field, Jonny Peate will have plenty of options.
Can Adoramus win again today?
I was quite taken with Adoramus on debut, and I think he can do better. His start was poor, and he was forced to race wide as a result. However, he made up ground at the finish when no other horse was, there are a lot of reasons why he could improve plenty. The fact he produced the top speed and fastest final furlong, only emphasises the ability he has. We then have the natural physical and mental improvement expected from his first to second run to factor in as well. I really do feel he could relish Pontefract and this softer ground as well.
In terms of negatives, he does have to show he’s learnt from his debut and there is no guarantee of that mental maturing. Similarly, we are gambling on him enjoying the track and the ground, as we have no evidence that he will. Finally all of these horses are either unexposed or unraced, so we don’t know how much the former will improve and the latter could quite literally be anything.
I rarely bet in these types of races due to the number of unknowns, however, at a price of 13/2, I certainly feel that Adoramus is worth playing each way here. I’d be very disappointed if he wasn’t involved at the finish and he could easily have the scope to land a race such as this. Given the negatives and unknowns though, I’m only prepared to play half stakes.
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