UK Horse Racing Tips

Classic winning trainer Roger Charlton is hoping for much better luck this season than last with his talented mare Thistle Bird, reported in good shape after her winter break and scheduled to make a return to action at York’s first fixture of the season in the Group 2 Middleton Stakes in mid-May, writes Elliot Slater. 

 The six-year-old daughter of Selkirk has been a fine servant to her owner-breeder Lady Rothschild, but having enjoyed two highly successful seasons as a three and four-year-old during which she won four times in listed class, last campaign Charlton’s charge kept hitting the crossbar after winning on her second start in the Group 3 Princess Elizabeth Stakes at Epsom (returning the 3/1 favourite with bet365), although she was tackling smart company on each and every occasion.

 After disappointing at Royal Ascot when last of nine in the Group 2 Duke of Cambridge Stakes, Thistle Bird ran the race of her life when narrowly beaten by shock winner Winsili in the Group 1 Nassau Stakes at Glorious Goodwood, a performance that marked her down as an apparently sure-fire future winner at the highest level. The quirky character then failed again to run to her best form in the Celebration Mile back at Goodwood in August but ran an absolute blinder on her final start of the campaign when sent across the water to France to bid for the Group 1 Prix de l’Opera Longines on Arc day at Longchamp in October.

 Partnered as usual by James Doyle in the 10-furlong top-class contest, the Beckhampton-trained mare was in something of a pocket towards the inside rail for much of the trip, but once angled out for a clear run she fairly flew in the closing stages, eventually failing by just a nose and a neck to peg back the Aga Khan’s Dalkala, and Andre Fabre’s hot favourite Tasaday. Plenty who saw that race felt that had she enjoyed a clearer passage Thistle Bird might well have won the prestigious mares’ race – but it wasn’t to be.

 This term it is hoped that Thistle Bird’s luck will change and the sporting decision by her owner to keep her in training deserves to be rewarded. Charlton has made no secret of the fact that the mare is not an easy customer and has been difficult to train and also difficult to ride for a number of jockeys. Her trainer feels that the key to this season proving her most successful yet is her learning to settle well enough to stay 10 furlongs, something that has given connections far more options for the new campaign.

 Assuming she runs well at York on her reappearance Thistle Bird will be targeted at a number of the top 10 furlong events in Britain and abroad this year. As she has grown older she has also surprised connections in being able to handle soft ground, a new factor that gives Charlton plenty more options, especially in France where there tends to be easy ground at the majority of fixtures.

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