Who won the 18:20 Pontefract on 22 May 2026?
Naval Light (GB) won the 18:20 Pontefract at SP 1.40. Ridden by Jack Nicholls. Trained by K R Burke.
18:20 Pontefract
Book For Fathers Day Sunday 21st June Maiden Stakes (GBB Race)
6f · Flat · Class 4 · Good To Soft · 8 runners · £5,400 · Friday, 22 May 2026
Result
AI top pick wonat SP 2/5F·1.40Race report
- 1stNaval Light (GB)AI top pick · 54.4Jack Nicholls·K R Burke2/5F·1.40SP
- 2ndViper (GB)P J McDonald·Brian Ellison·beaten 1.25 lengths4/1·5.00SP
- 3rdStar With Purpose (GB)Jason Hart·John & Sean Quinn·beaten 3 lengths22/1·23.00SP
Race time
1m 17.24s+2.84s vs std
Slightly slow — minor pace variance, nothing to read into.
In-running (Naval Light (GB))
“In touch with leaders - some headway over 1f out - led inside final 110yds - ran on”
Settled · 1pt level stake = 0.40 pt return on the winnerTipping P&L →
Furlong's verdict
Reading the form…
AI-written, grounded in our data on this race. May be wrong. Verify before staking. Opinion, not advice.
Pundit corner
Racing Post · third-partyPundit pick: Naval Light
Viper can win a maiden but NAVAL LIGHT has been running in stronger races than this and can belatedly get off the mark.
Forecast 4/6 Naval Light, 4/1 Viper, 7/1 Stoneacre Joe, 10/1 King's Road Dandy, 12/1 Lady Vega, 20/1 Star With Purpose, 50/1 Leelawadee, Lineofsuccession, Tommie's Angel
Editorial from Racing Post analysts via the Racing API — not generated by Racing Alpha. Formbook forecast prices are estimates, not market prices.
Why the model rates this top
Naval Light
Jack Nicholls(5) · K R Burke · 3yo
Top-rated of 8
score 54.4 · +8.6 clear of next best (45.8)
Scores compare runners within this race only
The Racing Alpha rating combines four signals. Below is the breakdown — components driving this pick first.
- Freshness10% weight100very strong20d since last run (race-fit window)
- Ratings50% weight58averageOR 83 · RPR 94 · TS 83 — highest combined rating in the field
- Form20% weight42below averageLast 6: 8-2-3-3-8
- Trainer20% weight35below averageK R Burke: 6/42 winners last 14d (14%)
MarketNo market price available yet.
v1.3 rating — a field-relative score, not a win probability; for market-derived value see the Fair column in the runners table. Weights and method on /about. Tips are opinions, not advice.
Draw bias — Pontefract 6f
full course data →Moderate: middle favoured (IV 1.19).
Low (1–3)
IV 0.98
Mid (4–6)
IV 1.19
High (7–9)
IV 0.85
Today: Star With Purpose (draw 4) and Tommie's Angel (draw 6) get the bias; Stoneacre Joe (draw 9) is in the least-favoured band.
IV = impact value: 1.00 is neutral, above it a stall band wins more often than its share of runners predicts. 147 qualifying races at this course and trip, 3-year window.
Runners · sorted by finishing position
| Pos | No. | Horse | Form | OR | AI | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | J: Jack Nicholls(5) · T: K R Burke · draw 1 3yo · G · b | 82338 | 83 | 54.4 | 2/5F·1.40 SP |
| 2 | 5 | J: P J McDonald · T: Brian Ellison · draw 3 3yo · G · b | 73 | — | 41.3 | 4/1·5.00 SP |
| 3 | 3 | J: Jason Hart · T: John & Sean Quinn · draw 4 3yo · G · bbFT B | 47 | — | 42.8 | 22/1·23.00 SP |
| 4 | 6 | J: Connor Beasley · T: Gemma Tutty · draw 8 3yo · F · b | — | — | 22.5 | 15/2·8.50 SP |
| 5 | 7 | J: Mark Winn · T: Michael Dods · draw 2 3yo · F · b | 7 | — | 36.5 | 40/1·41.00 SP |
| 6 | 8 | J: Jonny Peate · T: Ivan Furtado · draw 5 3yo · F · b | — | — | 19.5 | 50/1·51.00 SP |
| 7 | 9 | J: Kaiya Fraser · T: Rebecca Menzies · draw 6 3yo · F · b | 4 | — | 39.8 | 50/1·51.00 SP |
| 8 | 1 | J: Oisin Orr · T: David & Nicola Barron · draw 7 3yo · G · b | 35 | — | 41.2 | 8/1·9.00 SP |
| — | — | J: Sean Kirrane · T: Tim Easterby · draw 9 3yo · G · b | 9228 | 75 | 45.8 | — |
OR = official rating · AI = model score (0–100) · form reads oldest → latest
Frequently asked questions
Did the Racing Alpha AI tip win the 18:20 Pontefract?
Yes — the AI top-rated horse, Naval Light, won the race (AI score 54.4).
What were the placings in the 18:20 Pontefract?
Top finishers: 1. Naval Light (GB) (1.40), 2. Viper (GB) (5.00), 3. Star With Purpose (GB) (23.00).
What was the winning time for the 18:20 Pontefract?
The winning time was 1m 17.24s, 2.84s slower than standard.
Best price shown is the highest decimal price across bookmakers we track. Odds update every few minutes; settle at SP if unavailable. 18+ only · Bet responsibly · BeGambleAware.org