Who won the 16:08 Pontefract on 17 September 2026?
Venetian Lion (GB) won the 16:08 Pontefract at SP 3.75. Ridden by Cieren Fallon. Trained by William Haggas.
16:08 Pontefract
Matty Bown Handicap Stakes
1m · Flat · Class 4 · Good · 10 runners · £5,234 · Thursday, 17 September 2026
Result
AI top pick wonat SP 11/4F·3.75Race report
- 1stVenetian Lion (GB)AI top pick · 61.1Cieren Fallon·William Haggas11/4F·3.75SP
- 2ndBillyb (FR)Shane Gray·Craig Lidster·beaten .75 lengths11/1·12.00SP
- 3rdWalsingham (IRE)Jason Watson·David O'Meara·beaten 1.75 lengths3/1·4.00SP
Race time
1m 43.25s
Race time recorded.
In-running (Venetian Lion (GB))
“Settled towards back of the pack - travelling strongly with 2f left - moved through gap to the outside and gained ground - hit the front a furlong out - opened a advantage and idled home in front”
Settled · 1pt level stake = 2.75 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.
Other selections
Head-to-head dashboard →Each-way61.1/100 rating
Venetian Lion
4.60Matchbook
Top-half AI rating in the EW price sweet spot. Each-way splits stake: half on the win, half on the place portion.
Pundit corner
Racing Post · third-partyPundit pick: Perfect Part
Perfect Part heads this Class 4 contest at Pontefract on good ground, sitting narrowly ahead of Freddie Steady Go on a three-pound edge and five pounds clear of Milteye, with the form and merit to justify that advantage over eight furlongs. Freddie Steady Go and Milteye represent the most credible threats, while BillyB must also be respected on similar figures to Walsingham though both trail the selection on overall assessment. Perfect Part looks the one to beat.
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
Venetian Lion
Cieren Fallon · William Haggas · 3yo
Top-rated of 10
score 61.1 · +3.6 clear of next best (57.5)
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 strong28d since last run (race-fit window)
- Form20% weight71strongLast 6: 7-9-6-2-1-1
- Trainer20% weight58averageWilliam Haggas: 17/73 winners last 14d (23%)
- Ratings50% weight51averageOR 76
MarketBest price 4.60 (Matchbook) · 2nd in the market of 10.
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 1m
full course data →Moderate: low (inside) favoured (IV 1.29).
Low (1–4)
IV 1.29
Mid (5–7)
IV 0.85
High (8–10)
IV 0.83
Today: Milteye (draw 4) and Garden Oasis (draw 3) get the bias; Venetian Lion (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. 69 qualifying races at this course and trip, 3-year window.
Runners · sorted by finishing position
| Pos | No. | Horse | Form | OR | AI | SP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | J: Cieren Fallon · T: William Haggas · draw 9 3yo · G · cht | 796211 | 76 | 61.1 | 11/4F·3.75 SP |
| 2 | 5 | J: Shane Gray · T: Craig Lidster · draw 1 7yo · G · bp | 87074 | 80 | 47.5 | 11/1·12.00 SP |
| 3 | 2 | J: Jason Watson · T: David O'Meara · draw 5 6yo · G · b | 080578 | 82 | 44.5 | 3/1·4.00 SP |
| 4 | 6 | J: Cam Hardie · T: Susan Corbett · draw 2 5yo · G · bt | 77188 | 79 | 42.1 | 9/1·10.00 SP |
| 5 | 10 | J: Duran Fentiman · T: Tim Easterby · draw 3 11yo · G · bb | 542337 | 68 | 48.5 | 22/1·23.00 SP |
| 6 | 1 | J: Tom Kiely-Marshall(5) · T: Harriet Bethell · draw 4 6yo · G · b | 01854 | 82 | 57.5 | 9/2·5.50 SP |
| 7 | 3 | J: Rowan Scott · T: Michael Dods · draw 6 6yo · G · bp | 207142 | 80 | 52.8 | 11/1·12.00 SP |
| 8 | 4 | J: Sean Dylan Bowen · T: Brian Ellison · draw 10 4yo · F · chp | 420754 | 80 | 43.1 | 10/1·11.00 SP |
| 9 | 8 | J: Warren Fentiman(3) · T: John & Sean Quinn · draw 7 4yo · G · ch | 61304 | 76 | 50.2 | 12/1·13.00 SP |
| 10 | 7 | J: Rhys Clutterbuck · T: David O'Meara · draw 8 6yo · G · ch | 061663 | 78 | 45.9 | 40/1·41.00 SP |
OR = official rating · AI = model score (0–100) · form reads oldest → latest
Frequently asked questions
Did the Racing Alpha AI tip win the 16:08 Pontefract?
Yes — the AI top-rated horse, Venetian Lion, won the race (AI score 61.1).
What were the placings in the 16:08 Pontefract?
Top finishers: 1. Venetian Lion (GB) (3.75), 2. Billyb (FR) (12.00), 3. Walsingham (IRE) (4.00).
What was the winning time for the 16:08 Pontefract?
The winning time was 1m 43.25s.
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