Kinks Looks Ready to Strike for Channon at Pontefract
The feature sprint on Pontefract’s card tonight looks to be a good one, but there is one horse dropping down in class who could prove to be too good for his rivals. That horse is the Mick Channon trained Kinks, who comes here on the back of a very good run at Newmarket, in what was a better quality of race than this one. The drop down in class could be what is needed for this horse to get his head in front for the first time this season.
There was a lot to like about his run last time out, where he eventually finished third going down by a small margin. The horse that won and the one that came second have both shown a lot of promise this season, and the second was backed strongly when going to Ripon last week, before he unfortunately unshipped his rider as the stalls opened. There is every chance that the form from Newmarket could turn out to be well above average and that makes this horse of interest here.
He has dropped down the weights this season, but that third placed finish has put him up slightly again to a mark of 90. However, when you consider this horse was good enough to be running in group races and off better marks than this in handicaps as a two year old last year, this mark still looks to be one he can compete off.
Both trainer Mick Channon and jockey Silvestra De Sousa have enjoyed successful raids on Pontefract over the last few years, they know what it takes to win at the West Yorkshire venue. In particular, having De Sousa on his back is a big positive as he knows this quirky track very well and shows his quality when he rides it.
Kinks looks to be a horse who is more than capable of competing in the big sprint races this season, as we have seen him do so far. This is a drop in class for him, and that could be what’s needed to get his head in front. This race here will hopefully result in a win for him, before he goes back up in the weights and contests the top sprinting handicaps again for the rest of the summer.