The inaugural ‘West Yorkshire Festival Night’ evening meeting next Monday (June 9) gets underway at 6-40 p.m. and celebrates all things West Yorkshire, with stalls providing and promoting local events, food and drink, along with local artists and musicians. Among those represented are Wakefield College, Wakefield Council, Rogerthorpe Manor Hotel, Farmer Copleys and outlets associated with Xscape and Junction 32 Retail Park.
On the track, The Tony Bethell Memorial Handicap Stakes is a race for stayers over two miles and one furlong which commemorates a former chairman of Pontefract racecourse. This is the third of eight races in the Pontefract Stayers’ Championship, a competition involving races of over two miles at the course during the season, offering bonuses of £3,000 and trophies to the connections of the Series’ winner, based on a points system according to wins and places obtained during the series. Suprise Vendor and New Youmzain lead the way with nine points apiece after their respective victories and the first two races.
Three-year-old sprinters take part in The Mr. Wolf Sprint Handicap Stakes, a contest over six furlongs named after course specialist, Mr. Wolf, the winner of eight races at Pontefract. In all, he competed in a remarkable 36 races at Pontefract, and he ran his final race at the track in July 2012.
The opening race of the evening is a contest for maiden two-year-old fillies, supported by Racing Profits Guides Ltd. – The Your Expert Guide To Pontefract At pontefractracecoursetips.co.uk Maiden Stakes. This website is full of statistics regarding racing at Pontefract, helping racegoers to identify potential winners.
The giant screen situated opposite the main stands will assist racegoers in following all of the action.