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.
← All racecards18:20
Pontefract
Great BritainBook For Fathers Day Sunday 21st June Maiden Stakes (GBB Race)
Friday, 22 May 2026
6f·Flat·Class 4·Good To Soft·8 runners·£5,400
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.
Selections by model
Head-to-head dashboard →v1.054.4/100 rating
Naval Light
1.49Betfair Exchange· informational only
Top-rated, but filter rejects this race
v1.1
No pick
Race outside the segment-edge filter
Each-way41.3/100 rating
Viper
7.20Betfair Exchange
Top-half AI rating in the EW price sweet spot. Each-way splits stake: half on the win, half on the place portion.
Racing Alpha pick
Naval Light
Jack Nicholls(5) · K R Burke · 3yo
54.4/100
+8.6 vs next best (45.8)
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%)
MarketBest price 1.49 (Betfair Exchange) — market favourite. AI agrees with the market.
v1.3 rating · weights and method explained on /about. Tips are opinions, not advice.
Runners
| Pos | # | Dr | Horse | Jockey / Trainer | Form | Wt | OR | RPR | TS | AI | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | 1 | 7 | 3yo · G · b | 35 | 9-07 | — | 67 | 51 | 41.2 | 8/1·9.00 SP | |
| 1 | 2 | 1 | 3yo · G · b | 82338 | 9-07 | 83 | 94 | 83 | 54.4 | 2/5F·1.40 SP | |
| 3 | 3 | 4 | 3yo · G · bbFT B | 47 | 9-07 | — | 67 | 67 | 42.8 | 22/1·23.00 SP | |
| 2 | 5 | 3 | 3yo · G · b | 73 | 9-07 | — | 79 | 40 | 41.3 | 4/1·5.00 SP | |
| 4 | 6 | 8 | 3yo · F · b | — | 9-02 | — | — | — | 22.5 | 15/2·8.50 SP | |
| 5 | 7 | 2 | 3yo · F · b | 7 | 9-02 | — | 63 | — | 36.5 | 40/1·41.00 SP | |
| 6 | 8 | 5 | 3yo · F · b | — | 9-02 | — | — | — | 19.5 | 50/1·51.00 SP | |
| 7 | 9 | 6 | 3yo · F · b | 4 | 9-02 | — | 55 | — | 39.8 | 50/1·51.00 SP | |
| — | — | 9 | 3yo · G · b | 9228 | 9-07 | 75 | 83 | 63 | 45.8 | — |
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.
Racing Post verdict
Third-partyViper can win a maiden but NAVAL LIGHT has been running in stronger races than this and can belatedly get off the mark.
Racing Post pick: Naval Light
Editorial verdict from Racing Post via the Racing API — not generated by Racing Alpha.
Betting forecast
Formbook4/6 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
Formbook's pre-race odds estimate — not market prices.
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