Racing on Thursday comes from Southwell and Chelmsford after both Exeter and Ffos Las fell victim to the ongoing cold snap.
Southwell and Chelmsford both race on their all-weather surfaces and at the former Thunder Gap has a great chance to record the first victory of his career.
Selections
- Southwell 15:03 – Thunder Gap @ 7/2
- Southwell 15:33 – Kitten’s Dream @ 11/4
- Chelmsford 19:00 – Tarbaan @ 7/4
Tip 1
THUNDER GAP (7/2) remains a maiden after six starts in his career, however, he has shown it won’t be long before he tastes his first success on the track, and it could come in the 15:03 at Southwell.
Tom Tate’s gelding stepped up to 1m2f last time out at Newcastle on the AW and he appreciated the extra 2f. He stayed on strongly at the business end of that contest but just found one rival better than him on the day.
The handicapper has put the five-year-old up 2lb in the ratings, however, he remains open to improvement, especially over this new trip of 1m3f.
This race is a great opportunity for the son of Night Of Thunder to get his nose in front for the first time so it is no surprise that he features on the Betfred Betfinder for this afternoon’s racing.
Tip 2
KITTEN’S DREAM (11/4) has been knocking on the door on his last two appearances, hitting the frame on both occasions. He can be rewarded for that consistency in the 15:33 contest at Southwell.
The C&D winner finished third of 11 runners at this course over 1m6f earlier this month. He then went one place better over that C&D when he was second of 10 horses just a week later, despite a very slow start out of the stalls.
Scott Dixon’s runner has been successful off an 8lb higher mark than he will face today. His last victory came back in August, but since then, he has rarely finished out of the frame.
Claimer Elisha Whittington will take 5lb off the horse’s back this afternoon and she should be full of confidence at the moment as she has ridden two runners over the last seven days.
Tip 3
With two wins from four starts, TARBAAN (7/4) has an excellent record on the AW. He was successful last time out over the same C&D as he will face in the 19:00 at Chelmsford. This time around he has a 4lb rise in the ratings to defy.
Amy Murphy’s gelding wore blinkers for the first time in that victory over this C&D and they proved effective. He led inside the final 110 yards, and he won going away from his rivals, which is a good sign ahead of this latest assignment.
The three-year-old faces just five rivals in this handicap contest over 1m2f and he is the horse who is open to the most improvement in the field, especially with the headgear retained this evening.
