Second Listed win on the horizon for Dawn Of Hope at Pontefract

Pontefract

DESERT RULER (5.10) has been knocking on the door this season and this new trip of 1m2f can help him make the breakthrough. Jedd O’Keeffe’s four-year-old hasn’t won since his juvenile campaign but he has been placed in three 1m handicaps this time around and only the well-backed Fire Tree was too good at Wetherby last time out. There is plenty of stamina in his pedigree and that effort suggests he is ready for this stiffer test.

PRECISION (4.10) hasn’t threatened in either start so far but Sir Michael Stoute’s charge could easily produce a better display here. He could never get into a challenging position at Windsor in April and was also beaten more than eight lengths at Sandown last time out, but he did make some eyecatching progress in a race where it paid to race prominently. He looks the sort who will improve and this looks an easier assignment than those he has faced so far.

DAWN OF HOPE (3.10) can land the Listed race. The four-year-old ended last year with a Listed win at Deauville and has probably run better than her form figures suggest this season. Last time out she was beaten less than five lengths in a Royal Ascot Group 2 and a repeat performance should be good enough.

Brighton

CHARACTERIZED (6.45) was an unraced two-year-old for Charlie Appleby but has shown promise in all three maidens for Geoffrey Deacon.

She was runner-up at Goodwood in June and, last time out, she made most in a 1m Chepstow maiden but faded on the run-in and had to settle for third.

The three-year-old is capable of better now that she drops in trip to 7f and moves into handicap company off a workable starting mark.

Uttoxeter

VIRNON (7.35) crashed out at the first fence last time out but the versatile gelding had previously been in good form on the Flat and over jumps, winning an all-weather handicap and a Market Rasen chase in April.

Sally Haynes’s charge showed a willing attitude to deny Crafty Roberto with a big gap back to the rest when recording that first victory over fences and he retains scope for further progress after just seven starts in this sphere.

Wolverhampton

TOUWARI (5.25) has yet to live up to his €130,000 price tag but he deserves a chance to.

The son of Teofilo, trained by in-form John Gosden, didn’t win any of his three maidens and was a slightly disappointing fourth when making his handicap debut at Bath last time out, but he has dropped 2lb for that.

The switch to sand could do the trick as he is a half-brother to two winners who showed their best form on artificial surfaces.

Get tips for every race run in Britain from Tuesday to Sunday in this week's Racing & Football Outlook - out every Tuesday