The beginning of April would see the start of a new dawn for flat racing as venues around the country began to slowly emerge from winter hibernation and open their doors for racing action. This meeting would signal the start of the season at the popular West Yorkshire racecourse of Pontefract as a large number of Yorkshiremen and women descended on the picturesque venue. Pontefract may be a family friendly racecourse, but the testing uphill nature of the race track is far from friendly for horses and offers a stiff test of stamina.
The first meeting of the season would be headlined by a class two handicap over the flying five furlongs. This contest would see some old warriors and up-and-coming talent face off with the potential to kick their turf campaign off strongly. Elsewhere, two very interesting novice races for older horses would begin proceedings with tricky, low grade handicaps rounding out the card.

Race One: The Every Raceday Is Autism Friendly At Pontefract Novice Stakes - Class Four - Six Furlongs - Runners:
The opening contest of the afternoon would see a novice contest take place at the base of the uphill run to the finish line. This six furlong event is open to horses aged three and older, but there would be a diverse mix of age and ability. Last year, the race would go the way of Richard Fahey's Strong Warrior, who landed his second career win to remain unbeaten at the time before taking on much hotter company later in the year.

This year's line up would be headed by the only previous winner, Ed Bethell's colt Return Of The Gods. The son of Tasleet has raced on the all-weather in both starts so far and benefited from his debut third to win at the second time of asking with a strong finish. He is well bred and looks set for a good future. Tim Easterby is more than capable of providing winning newcomers and he would introduce Agric Ranger in this contest. A son of Aclaim, his elder relative hasn't achieved much on track so far and he has been gelded ahead of this debut run. Another newcomer from the Malton yard of Tim Easterby would be Forest Phoenix. He is the first foal of a fairly useful Irish-trained racemare, but like his stablemate he has also been gelded ahead of his first start. The leading form contender would be Ed Walker's Golden Brown, who made the long journey from Lambourn. The gelding ran very well in valuable and competitive sales races during the summer and rounded the year off with a second in a listed race at Redcar. He would set a good standard to aim at for his rivals. Another Malton-based stable with a runner here would be Craig Lidster with Go Teejay. The son of Tasleet hasn't shown much in two starts so far and should be better suited by handicaps in the future. A third runner for Tim Easterby would come in the form of Hatamoto. The gelding comes from a very talented Juddmonte-bred family and would show a bit of promise in both starts last summer when fifth, but hasn't been seen in action since July last year. Richard Fahey has recently been joined by his son Peter on the trainer's license and the pair have made a good start to their new partnership. They would be represented by Invincible Boy. The colt caught the eye with a strong finish into second on debut at York, but finished a place lower at Doncaster next time on heavier ground. Another to have shown promise last year would be King's Road Dandy from the David and Nicola Barron stable. He would make his debut here in August last year and finished nicely into third behind two useful horses and should progress with natural improvement. The Easterby clan was also represented by Mick and David, who saddled Milford Grange. The son of Nando Parrado made his racecourse debut at Redcar last October and shaped with encouragement into third that day and is another with an outside chance in a good looking contest. Big spending owners Amo Racing would also be involved here as they saddled Nebulon from the Michael Bell stable. The twice raced colt looked in need of the experience on his debut last year, but ran better when second recently on the all-weather and his trainer has a decent record at Pontefract over the years. Another leading Northern yard with a runner would be Michael Dods with Real Jack. The speedily bred gelding learned plenty on his first two starts before pushing a short priced favourite close at Newcastle on his latest start in November, so looks a decent prospect. The Owners Group syndicate would show plenty of support for the Nigel Tinkler-trained Rousham. The homebred chestnut gelding is related to decent sprinters, but raced keenly on his debut at Newcastle recently and needs to do better here. Jack Channon has already made a fast start to the new turf season and would saddle the gelding Sargent Dennis here. He is related to a couple of winners and made his debut recently at Chelmsford where he stayed on nicely once in the clear down the home straight. Another horse with a bit of experience would be Kevin Ryan's Showtown. After a quiet debut, he would finish second in a similar race in July and showed ability with two more placings later in the season but this would be his first start since September. A second runner for Richard and Peter Fahey would be Spaceman. The well bred colt looked all at sea on his debut at Redcar, but flashed home for second which marks him down as a good prospect this year. Another newcomer in the field would come from the John and Sean Quinn stable, the gelding Star With Purpose. The son of Zoustar is a related to a talented sprinter and his trainer isn't shy of introducing a winning debutante. David and Nicola Barron would also give a debut to their gelding Tip Foster. The son of Dream Ahead wouldn't make a huge amount of appeal on paper, but it wouldn't be a surprise either to see him run well on his first start here. The first of the fillies in the contest would make her debut in this contest. Mick and David Easterby would saddle Davenport Lass and she comes from a very smart Aga Khan-bred family, which means she should be better over longer distances in the future. A second runner for Nigel Tinkler would be the filly Eva The Deeva. She is another with a stamina laden pedigree, but wasn't disgraced on debut when sixth at Newcastle at a big starting price. Completing the field would be The Wind And Sun, running here for the Julie Camacho stable. The filly is related to smart types who won over longer trips, but she was never involved on debut at Newcastle recently.

Winner:

Race Two: The Boyzlife Live At Ponte Friday 22nd May Maiden Stakes - Class Four - One Mile - Runners:
The second of the two novice contests would be a new addition to this card, a maiden race over a mile for horses aged three and over. Taking place at the entry to the bend at the foot of the valley, this trip would take some getting but with a number of interesting contenders, it could be a race to make note of for the future.

Heading the card would be the elder horses, who were led by August Spring from the Mick and David Easterby stable. The four year old is related to a classy sort, but began his career in bumpers. Since then, he hasn't featured in two novice races on the all-weather and should be better in handicaps further down the line. Dylan Cunha would send up the grey Clough from Newmarket for his debut here. The four year old son of Mastercraftsman comes from a yard which continues to grow and he would make appeal for this belated first start. A second runner for the Mick and David Easterby yard  would be the eight year old Pop The Question. The mare has won point to point races over three miles, but ran fairly well on a much sharper test at Newcastle, taking fourth over seven furlongs on her flat debut. The three years old would receive weight from their elders, but Richard and Peter Fahey's colt Arabian Desert arrived here with leading claims. The beautifully bred colt finished second at York on his second start before finishing second again, this time in the Group Three Horris Hill Stakes at Newbury. He would rank a long way clear on ratings and this should be an open goal for a first win. The smaller scale yard of Mike Sowersby would see Contemplation run for the yard for the first time. The gelding has picked up a bit of experience so far and ran his best race so far when fourth in a handicap last time, albeit over a much longer distance. Another leading stable with a runner here would be Ed Bethell with Haayimm. The newly gelded son of Gleneagles made his debut at the similarly testing Beverley last summer and ran decently to take third there and made his return to action. The dual purpose stable of Richard Newland and Jamie Insole are looking to build on a strong 2025 with their runner Island Bear. The well bred three year old did well in some strong looking maiden events last summer, showing potential to win a race of his own at some time. John and Sean Quinn would saddle the twice-raced Master Of Keraunos. The gelding has raced on the all-weather on both occasions, but was caught close home by a useful talent at Southwell last time out and made his first start on turf here. Another to switch surfaces in this contest would be Hugo Palmer's colt Regulus Black. The son of Palace Pier comes from a good family, but needs to improve on his two starts so far after a couple of heavy defeats. William Haggas's horses are always worth making note of when making their debut and he would introduce the colt Romanticizing. The very well bred son of Sea The Stars is related a host of winners and would be a very interesting newcomer in a race like this. Karl Burke has cemented his position as one of the North's biggest trainers in recent seasons and the Middleham handler would be represented by Seattle Chief. The gelding is another from a talented family, but hasn't shown enough yet to suggest he will be winning as well anytime soon. Completing the line up would be another Middleham based runner, the Ed Bethell-trained Porth Eilian. The filly comes from a family well known to connections as a half sister to a listed race winner, but a slow start on her debut last year hampered her finishing position at Haydock and she hasn't been seen out since.

Winner:

Race Three: The Racing TV Sky Channel 424 Handicap - Class Five - One Mile - Runners:

Next up would be the turn of the older horses as the handicaps would take centre stage for the first time. This class five contest over a mile would be open to horses aged four and older with not much to seperate the runners on official ratings, Last year, the race would go to the David Loughnane-trained Parisian Hero, who made all the running under Richard Kingscote and went on to win at the Epsom Derby meeting later that year.

This year's contest would see the Jess Macey-trained Commander Of Life carry top weight. The five year old arrives here fresh from a spell on the all-weather where he ran well on a consistent basis. The gelding has finished second three times this winter, including last time out at Chelmsford. Next up would be another five year old, Sailthisshipalone. The gelding showed useful form earlier in his career, but began to lose his way for Richard Fahey. He would bounce back to winning ways in November and has now joined the Ivan Furtado yard ahead of this year. Alpha Capture has been on an interesting career so far, winning a listed race as a juvenile before having a spell with the Willie Mullins stable. The six year old ran a very pleasing race last time at Newcastle recently on his debut for the Roger Fell stable and could progress further this year. Another Yorkshire stable with a runner here would be John and Sean Quinn with Zowal. The formerly French trained gelding won on stable debut last year, but became disappointing last year. He then showed a little better at Doncaster recently and might have turned the corner now. A second runner for the Malton stable of John and Sean Quinn would be Pink Azalea, who had a good season last year. The filly won at Epsom, Carlisle and Ripon which suggests she could handle this course ahead of her seasonal reappearance. Kokanee would make the journey from Newmarket for trainer Ed Dunlop. The four year old won on his first start in 2025 so could go well fresh and also ran well when fourth on his only previous start at this course. David and Nicola Barron's Swift Salian is another who had a good season last year, winning twice and never being too far away throughout the season over a range of distances. He took a close up fourth over course and distance on his latest run back in October. The David O'Meara-trained Rajapour made his last turf start back in late October, but has been kept busy on the all-weather over the winter. He would win in December, but his rating still looks a bit stiff. Ian Williams has been firing in the winners this year and would be represented here by Typical Woman. The seven year old broke a fair sized losing spell with a last gasp win at Lingfield on her latest run in August and this course should suit her style. Alan Brown's stable stalwart Urban Road would make a pretty rare start on turf as he is a regular at Newcastle's all-weather course. The nine time winner would be making his first start on turf since August 2023, some two and a half years ago. A second runner for the Ivan Furtado and Ontoawinner trainer/owner combination would be Not Me. The stoutly bred five year old has yet to win, but has run well over this trip in the past and is lightly raced still. Another prolific winning filly in the line up would be Charlie Clover's Salaria. The four year old landed her first win at this venue last year and has gone on to win three more times on the all-weather and looks progressive. Another last time out winner would be Julie Camacho's Camino Del Ray. 

Race Four: The Ponte Premiership New For 2026 Handicap - Class Two - Five Furlongs - Runners:

Race Five: The Tommy Hepple Memorial Handicap - Class Five - One Mile, Four Furlongs - Runners:

Race Six: The OAP Free Day Tuesday 21st April Handicap - Class Six - Six Furlongs - Runners: