UK Horse Racing Tips

Despite just eight runners, the Londonmetric Noel Murless Stakes (3.35) at Ascot on Friday presents a thorny puzzle, with doubts about each of the participants for one reason or another. Sevenna Star carries a Pattern race penalty for winning the bet365 Classic Trial at Sandown in April, but subsequently disappointed in the Derby and the Great Voltigeur Stakes, while Austrian School, too, is becoming frustrating after finishing second on five of his last six starts. Mekong evidently enjoyed testing conditions, not for the first time in his career, when hacking up at Haydock last month, but is consequently 1lb worse off for the 1¾ lengths he finished behind Ghostwatch on his previous start, on faster ground, in the Melrose Handicap at York.

With the weather in Berkshire set fair for the next few days, Ghostwatch could be the one to take advantage. Gelded in August, the son of Dubawi won the Melrose Handicap on his first start back and, although no match for First Eleven – trained, like Sevenna Star, by John Gosden – over 1 mile 4 furlongs on this course next time, should appreciate stepping back up in distance. The gelding operation appears to have corrected his slightly ‘wayward’ tendencies, as was always the intention of his trainer Charlie Appleby, and the son of Dubawi looks ready for his first crack at some ‘black type’.

Selection: Ascot 3.35 Ghostwatch to win 11/4

It would appear that a 4lb rise in the weights for winning on his penultimate start was supposed to put paid to Weather Front at Hamilton at the end of last month, granted that he was sent off 7/1 fifth choice of the nine runners, despite having won two of his three previous starts. Presumably, it was because he was trying 1 mile 4 furlongs for just the second time, having been beaten on his first attempt, under less arduous conditions, at Doncaster in May. Not only did he win at Hamilton, though, he did so comfortably so, having coped admirably with the steep gradients at that course, he shouldn’t be inconvenienced by Beverley, where the downhill turn into the home straight and the short straight, itself, places less emphasis on stamina.

Until recently, trainer Karen McLintock probably thought of him solely as an all-weather horse, but his now proven stamina, not to mention his liking for rain-softened turf, should open a few more doors for him. Indeed, the aptly-named son of Stormy Atlantic is also 3-3 for apprentice Jamie Gormley, who is with Iain Jardine, so the young man could prove to a lucky omen, not to mention taking a very useful 3lb off a horse that’s aleady gone up 19lb this season.

Selection: Beverley 3.25 Weather Front to win 5/1

In the Royal Sussex Regiment Handicap (4.10) at Goodwood on Tuesday, Soldier In Action has failed to trouble the judge since winning a similar race on the Polytrack at Kempton last November, but is consequently 12lb lower in the weights and has run with a little more promise on his last two starts. His latest effort, when a never-nearer fifth of 16, beaten 7 lengths, behind Here And Now at York two weeks ago, looks better for the fact that neither the winner nor the third, Hochfeld, were beaten far by the 114-rated Duretto in the Chester Stakes on Saturday. The Soldier Of Fortune gelding has done all his winning on turf on good or softer going, so underfoot conditions at the West Sussex course should be to his liking, even if the ground does dry out a little in the interim.

Mark Johnston has a fair, if unspectacular, 17% strike rate with his older horses at Goodwood over the last five seasons, for a very healthy profit of 44 points, so hopefully Soldier In Action can give us a decent run for our money at rewarding odds. Of course, the Middleham trainer makes life difficult by also saddling Austrian School – who has been raised 4lb for being beaten at Musselburgh last time, but is reunited with winning jockey P.J. McDonald – but Solder In Action is just too well handicapped to ignore.

Selection: Goodwood 4.10 Soldier In Action to win 6/1

Richard Hannon is typically a keen supporter of Monday evening meetings at Windsor, as was his father, Richard Snr., and has a 20% strike rate at the Berkshire course so far this season. On Monday evening, he runs just one, Anchises, who was surprising turned over at odds of 1/2 in a run-of-the-mill maiden at Ffos Las last month, but looks to have been found a decent opportunity to make amends in the closing Sky Bet Racing Cash Out Novice Stakes (8.00).

The Choisir colt steps up to a mile and a quarter for the first time, but has plenty of stamina in the bottom half of his pedigree – being out of a mare by the top middle distance sire Montjeu – and looks a decent bet to fulfil the promise of his debut run at Newmarket in June. On that occasion, Achises belied odds of 50/1 to finish third of 14, beaten 4 lengths, behind Red Starlight in a better novice stakes race than this one. That form looks fair enough in the context of this race, with the second, Auxerre, winning a small race at Haydock by 5 lengths.

Petrastar was beaten by the minimum margin in a maiden over course and distance on his racecourse debut four weeks ago, but the pick of the opposition could be the beautifully bred Midi, who never recovered from missing the break when down the field

in a competitive Newmarket maiden last autumn and has had a wind operation in the interim. Nevertheless, Achises has plenty of scope for improvement and can put his experience to good use.

Selection: Windsor 8.00 Anchises to win 11/4