Best bet for the horse racing Thursday 8th September

It’s Ladies Day at the Cazoo St Leger Festival on Thursday. It’s a decent card with a couple of Group Two’s for the Fillies and Mares and the return to action of the Derby winner to look forward to. ITV Racing start their coverage today showing the first five races of the eight race card on ITV3 before ITV4 takes over for the Racing League in the evening. I fancy a couple up in Yorkshire and I also fancy one closer to home at Chelmsford City. As a bonus there is an ante-post punt to be had as well. 

Best bets for the Cazoo St Leger Festival at Doncaster Day Two

At 2.35 some potentially nice fillies line-up for the Group Two mile Cazoo May Hill Stakes. Frankness arrives on a hat-trick following a couple of wins over seven at Chester and the improving Balding trained filly has to be shortlisted. Another on a hat-trick is the unbeaten Dance In The Grass that William Buick rides for Mark Johnston. Both her wins have come over seven at Sandown where she turned over the odds-on One Nation on debut back in June, the form of that race is strong, before beating subsequent G.3 winner Fairy Cross in a Listed heat in July. Buick was on One Nation and Fairy Cross so I don’t suppose he took much convincing to get on-board here! By Cracksman out of Dance The Dream there is plenty of middle-distance form in the family so she should progress and a mile at this stage should prove perfect. I have the 11-10 overnight about the chestnut filly making it three from three and expect her to be odds-on tomorrow.  

Group Two 1m6f Coral Park Hill Fillies' Stakes at 3.10 Dirty Dozen member YesYes will line-up for just her second start of the season having finished a close fourth in the 1m6f G.2 Lillie Langtry Stakes at Glorious Goodwood. That was a fine effort after 301-days off the track and the daughter of Camelot will surely strip fitter here for that; winner that day Sea La Rosa followed up in the G.2 Darley Prix de Pomone Stakes and third Emily Dickinson may go for the St Leger on Saturday, so it's fair looking form. On paper she has a few pounds to find with the jolly Eshaada but I wonder is that one is still somewhat overrated after her surprise win in the G.1 British Champions Fillies & Mares Stakes last back end. The selection has form on softer ground and is worth a punt at the 7-2 overnight to turn over the favourite.  

The Cazoo Handicap looks a real headscratcher. I was tempted to back New Kingdom but as reliable as he is he appears in the handicappers grasp at the moment. Zainalarab is the improver in the field but is too short for my liking. Harrow is interesting dropping back in trip again down to seven furlongs and down to 93 in the ratings having been racing over further all season. If the drop back to the intermediate trip does the trick he could be in the shake-up.  

Derby and King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes winner Adayar makes his delayed four-year-old debut after 11-months off track in the 1m2f Hilton Garden Inn Doncaster Conditions Stakes at 4.20. It is a complete non-event from a betting point of view as the colt is at least 20lb+ better than his two rival's, stablemate Dhahabi and Andrew Balding trained Masekela and quite frankly should be able to win in a canter. He is entered for the G.1 Qipco Champion Stakes at Ascot next month and I assume this is a warm-up for that; he was fifth in it last year having been fourth in the Arc 13-days earlier. It will be interesting to see how he goes. Baaeed is of course odds-on for the Champion Stakes but connections are at least considering the Arc now so I have actually had an each-way punt with Paddy Power at 14-1 on Adayar for the Champion Stakes next month at Ascot as I can see that field cutting-up significantly and 14’s could look huge come 15th October.  “Adayar’s preparation has gone well and we felt this looked the right race to start his belated four-year-old campaign,” Appleby told the Godolphin website. “As with any horse following a significant time off, we will be expecting him to come forward for the run. He had a nice blow under William Buick on Tuesday and we are looking forward to seeing him back on the track. Hopefully, this will give us a good steer as to where we go for the rest of the year.” Hopefully that will be Ascot. 

Best bets for the horse racing at Chelmsford City

I tipped Art Of Magic on debut at HQ over 7f when she was third and she followed that effort when fourth over the same track and trip a fortnight later. The 6f EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes at Chelmsford City due off at 5.05 is far from race of the day but the team at Moulton Paddocks may have found a great opportunity for their filly to get a win here. She likes to front run, which is no bad thing round this track, and with Christian Howarth taking off 5lb so she gets weight from the rest of the field. I think she might be out and gone in this and the daughter of Invincible Spirit is worth a punt at 100-30 - Bet365 were bigger but I can't get on. 

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