Friday gives us plenty to work with. Seven meetings, twenty picks, and a card that starts at Market Rasen in the early afternoon and doesn’t let up until the Nottingham floodlights. The spread is unusual too, eleven of ours at 4/1 or shorter, but a handful of prices further out that we think are wrong.
The Curragh is where the value sits. Dark Thirty at 2:50 has the draw this race demands, stall 20 putting him on the favoured side in the six furlong sprint. He arrives a last-time-out winner with two victories in his past six starts, and at around 17/2 that form is being underrated. We’re also with Charles Darwin at 3:25 and Yousaynothingatall later on the same card.
Newmarket’s July course carries four of ours, and Jumby at 3:42 is the one to note. He brings the quickest times in the field, the track has drawn some of his best work, and his recent finishing positions read worse than they should because he’s met trouble in running. His yard is flying at the moment as well. Over at Ripon, Act Of Violence ran a personal best when fourth last time and gets his conditions again over six furlongs from stall five. Silvestre De Sousa riding for Tony Carroll is a booking worth noticing.
The evening cards are where we’ve gone strongest. At Doncaster, Ribston Pippin at 8:25 looks the pick of the sprint. His good second two starts back is a truer guide than the below-par run since, and he returns from a 59 day break with stall 3 putting him in the right spot. Then there’s Del Corso at Nottingham, the shortest price we’ve put up all week. He’s comfortably the best horse in a three-runner race, his latest second was the fastest he’s ever run, and with just two rivals to see off this should be the night he gets his head in front.
Yesterday didn’t bring a winner, but Mr Montauk at 3/1 and Revich at 9/2 both hit the frame from five picks, so the each-way money kept us ticking over. Twenty chances today across seven cards. If the draw does its job at the Curragh and Del Corso does his at Nottingham, Friday could set the weekend up nicely.