Thursday hands us five meetings and a proper spread of prices, from a couple of odds-on standard-setters to a clutch of longer shots we think are worth a small each-way interest. The bulk of the action is on the flat at Yarmouth and Nottingham, with Newbury filling the evening and Bellewstown giving us the Irish angle.
Yarmouth is where we start. The Ubermensch is peaking at exactly the right moment, and the addition of cheekpieces and a tongue-tie to a horse already on the up is the sort of tweak that can find another length or two. He was touched off by a length and a quarter at Newcastle off this same mark, and he places freely anywhere from eight to twelve furlongs, so the trip is no worry. Later on the card, Federal Envoy is the one we lean on, with Man Of Desert and Sporty Socks the each-way flyers if you want to chance the bigger prices.
Over at Nottingham the standout for us is Pay Attention in the 4:40. He clocks his best times at this very track and the figures are on the way up, so the first-time tongue-tie could be the spark. Forget the Newmarket flop, he was lost at the start and it tells you nothing. This is a speculative each-way flier and nothing grander, but the pieces fit. Empirical heads the Nottingham card on price and looks the banker of the meeting.
Bellewstown gives us Namiid in the sprint, and he sets the standard. He has taken really well to handicaps, won comfortably two starts back, and was beaten only two lengths on his handicap bow last time. He is well drawn and adds first-time cheekpieces. On the same card, Dynamic Force is worth chancing back up in trip after six furlongs proved too sharp at Fairyhouse. His figures are rising, he looks fairly weighted, and Colin Keane brings a strong record at the venue.
Newbury is the value corner. Euphonia is going the right way on the clock, with her sharpest sprint times all coming lately. Seven furlongs is her optimum and the wide draw is the only genuine worry. Truly Glamorous is the more solid play there if you want something shorter.
Yesterday rewarded the patient, with Neptune Legend obliging at odds around 2.1 and Campeona filling a place. We take that momentum into a card that rewards those willing to look beyond the favourites. Plenty to get stuck into before the evening is out.