Pontefract is a left-handed, undulating flat course in West Yorkshire with one of the longest home straights in the country. The track has a distinctive pear shape and rises and falls throughout, meaning stamina is at a premium even over shorter trips.
Course Profile
| Direction | Left-handed |
| Surface | Turf |
| Racing | Flat (1185) |
| Total races (dataset) | 1,185 |
Top Trainers
| Trainer | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| R A Fahey | 614 | 83 | 13.5% |
| T D Easterby | 665 | 71 | 10.7% |
| M Johnston | 290 | 50 | 17.2% |
| D O’Meara | 390 | 46 | 11.8% |
| K A Ryan | 302 | 37 | 12.3% |
| K R Burke | 239 | 36 | 15.1% |
| P T Midgley | 302 | 34 | 11.3% |
| R M Beckett | 96 | 27 | 28.1% |
| Michael Dods | 280 | 24 | 8.6% |
| W J Haggas | 88 | 22 | 25.0% |
| Sir Michael Stoute | 95 | 22 | 23.2% |
| Micky Hammond | 286 | 21 | 7.3% |
| Mrs R A Carr | 200 | 21 | 10.5% |
| M R Channon | 111 | 20 | 18.0% |
| Roger Fell | 134 | 18 | 13.4% |
Top Jockeys
| Jockey | Runs | Wins | Win% |
|---|---|---|---|
| D Tudhope | 404 | 70 | 17.3% |
| D Allan | 392 | 48 | 12.2% |
| S De Sousa | 213 | 43 | 20.2% |
| G Lee | 408 | 42 | 10.3% |
| B A Curtis | 217 | 37 | 17.1% |
| Jason Hart | 335 | 36 | 10.7% |
| P Hanagan | 226 | 30 | 13.3% |
| J Fanning | 210 | 27 | 12.9% |
| Kevin Stott | 160 | 27 | 16.9% |
| F Norton | 162 | 27 | 16.7% |
| P Mulrennan | 295 | 24 | 8.1% |
| T Hamilton | 191 | 22 | 11.5% |
| C Lee | 110 | 20 | 18.2% |
| Connor Beasley | 213 | 19 | 8.9% |
| R Kingscote | 127 | 19 | 15.0% |
Favourite Performance
Across 1,284 races in the dataset, the market favourite won 431 times — a strike rate of 33.6%.
That’s above the national average (~32%), so favourites have a decent record here.
Going Distribution
| Going | Races | % |
|---|---|---|
| Good to Firm | 440 | 37.1% |
| Good | 352 | 29.7% |
| Soft | 204 | 17.2% |
| Good to Soft | 166 | 14.0% |
| Heavy | 23 | 1.9% |
The most common going description is Good to Firm, accounting for 37.1% of races.
Betting Angles
- R A Fahey leads the trainer table with 83 wins from 614 runs. Volume as much as strike rate, but they clearly target this track.
- R M Beckett has the highest win rate in the top 10 at 28.1% (27 from 96 runs), often sending runners with a good chance.
- S De Sousa rides this course well: 20.2% win rate from 213 rides.