Seven meetings on the Friday card and we have gone in with 23 picks, our busiest day of the week. Newmarket’s July meeting takes the headlines as ever, but honesty compels us to say the real work today is in the evening. Carlisle alone accounts for five of our selections, and Nottingham under the lights gives us four more.
The afternoon still has plenty going on. Desert Treasure opens our account at Newmarket in the 1:30, and we are back on the July Course three more times after that, twice at double-figure prices. Leicester gives us four across the card, Naas chips in with a pair including Cactus at a big number in the 3:08, and Sandown’s two are both outsiders we think are overpriced rather than horses we need to land.
Beverley is where we start to lean in. Tattie Bogle in the 5:10 is comfortably the pick of the field at the weights, drawn well in stall six with a mark that keeps sliding. He was beaten only half a length off today’s rating last time, and the quick three-day turnaround is the only thing we can hold against him. Half an hour later, Maid On The Shelf is the classic unexposed Johnston runner switching to handicaps off a mark of just 46. Both trainer and rider are going well at the track, she is bred to stay further, and 12/1 looks a fair bit too big.
Carlisle then does the heavy lifting through the evening, with Mertoun and Inspired carrying two points each. The one we keep coming back to is Alpine Sierra in the 7:39. On recent evidence he is the fastest horse in this field, he won three on the bounce before his latest defeat, and he has already won at the track over an ideal trip. At Nottingham, Palace Artois in the 8:30 towers over this level on the clock. Windsor came at a trip short of her best, this step up suits her late surge, and the cheekpieces go on with her weight still coming down.
Yesterday brought another winner. Accademia obliged at 7/1, and Max Of Stars and Lady Of Clover both hit the frame to keep the each-way ledger ticking. Three from five paying out is the kind of day we will happily bank.
Big card, long evening. If the money comes anywhere, we fancy it comes at Carlisle.