Thursday gives us five meetings to pick through, and the shape of the day is split nicely between solid favourites we trust and a handful of bigger prices where we think the market has it wrong. Haydock and Chepstow carry the weight of our staking, but Southwell on the all-weather has plenty to offer in the evening too.
Catterick kicks us off and we are happy to take on the short ones in the early races, though Velvet Rhythm at evens looks well placed to close the card. Across at Musselburgh the going has dried out and that brings Alpine Sierra into the frame for us. Jim Goldie has the horse in a rhythm you can set a watch by, form figures reading 822231 off a recent Hamilton run, and Lauren Young’s claim takes a useful chunk off the back. A drop to good ground over a mile and three on a track that rewards a positive ride is exactly what we want.
Haydock is where the meatier action sits. We’ve gone two points on Euphonia in the 3:30 and like Lion Of Mali in the same race as a separate Win bet rather than a forecast. The race we keep coming back to though is the 4:03, where Keep Kicking On gets our vote. The horse showed nothing on debut at Ascot at 20-1, but that was the education run, and he now has experience over a field of newcomers. Clive Cox is sharp with these juveniles and Rossa Ryan stays on board.
Chepstow gives us the most-fancied bet of the evening. River King returns from a break for his handicap bow after a gelding operation, off the back of a Windsor novice win where he made all over this trip. Lightly raced, sound form against horses who went on to better things, and the yard wouldn’t be running him at 2.1 if they didn’t think he was ready. Earlier on the card, Windbreaker steps up to a mile and two on his turf debut for Haggas, with form behind a 2,000 Guineas runner to lean on.
Yesterday gave us three winners in Chalk Mountain at 13s, Jet Warrior at 7.5 and Rolltight at 2.1, with three more placed. That’s the kind of day we want to build on, and the longer-priced angle worked, which is why we are happy to chance Harlequin Bay and Isle Of Lismore at Haydock and Sanditon at Southwell tonight.
Five meetings, plenty to chew on, and a card that should keep us busy from teatime through to nine.