Racing on Thursday in the UK and Ireland comes from Catterick, Chelmsford (AW), Haydock, Limerick, Sandown and Wolverhampton (AW).
At Sandown, it is Brigadier Gerard evening, with two Group races on the card. One of our fancies comes in the Group Three Henry II Stakes where an Ian Williams runner can show his class to land the valuable prize at the Esher-based venue.
Selections
- Catterick 14:40 – Aconcagua Mountain @ 7/2
- Haydock 15:30 – Chasseral @ 7/4
- Sandown 19:12 – Enemy @ 6/5
Tip 1
ACONCAGUA MOUNTAIN (7/2) ended 2022 in excellent form, with back-to-back victories coming over this 5f distance at Wolverhampton on the all-weather. Iain Jardine’s runner won both of those races comfortably.
The five-year-old has shown he can also produce his best on turf as he prevailed at Redcar last summer where he enjoyed the ‘Good To Firm’ ground.
His connections will have been pleased with his seasonal reappearance at Hamilton earlier this month. Although he could only finish fifth of eight runners, he was only beaten by less than two lengths, despite being short for room on a couple of occasions.
The three-time sprint winner features on the Betfred Betfinder as one of the most Napped selections this afternoon. With a run now behind him this season, expect to see him take a big step forward this time at Catterick on ground which will suit.
Tip 2
In four appearances last season Andrew Balding’s filly CHASSERAL (7/4) hit the frame on each occasion. She broke her maiden on her final start of the season when scoring on the all-weather at Newcastle (6f).
The daughter of Exceed and Excel made her opening appearance of the season at Newmarket just over two weeks ago. She finished a respectable fourth in that race which was won by Shaquille. The winner of that contest has appeared again since then and won a Listed contest, while the runner-up has also run a big race again at Newmarket.
The Juddmonte-owned filly looks capable of delivering much more this year. She has been eased 1lb by the handicapper and the excellent Oisin Murphy has been booked in the saddle for this latest assignment.
Tip 3
ENEMY has just four rivals to beat in the Group Three Henry II Stakes and based on official ratings alone, it looks like a great opportunity for him to score at this level for the first time. The 6/5 six-year-old is rated at 111, with Nate The Great the next best in the ratings at 107.
It has already been a good start to the year for Ian Williams’ runner. He scored at Meydan back in January at the Dubai World Cup Carnival. A month later, he chased home a smart Japanese runner over 1m7f at Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
The experienced six-year-old did not enjoy the soft ground at Chester last time out in the Ormonde Stakes, but conditions will be in his favour this time, so his class should show in this 2m contest.
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