Best bets for the horse racing Thursday 15th April - The Craven Meeting

Having been laid-up for four days I have risen Phoenix like from the flames of Man Flu! All being well, hopefully, anyhow I feel alright Wednesday evening. No joy with the bet on Wednesday but I have a couple that should be backed on Thursday. 

Best bets for the Craven Meeting at Newmarket


First race of interest to me is the 6f Each Way Extra At bet365 Handicap at 1.50. I tipped Creative Force when he won on debut here at Newmarket in June last year and then again when he finished down the field in the Coventry Stakes at the Royal Meeting. There has clearly been a few problems with him as a youngster, been gelded over the winter, but he is bred to be pretty damn good and I am hopeful he can get his career back on track in this. He is a half-brother to five winners, several 100+ rated, and his current mark of 89 could look very lenient as the year progresses. I am on at 4-1 overnight. 

Race of the day is of course the Group Three bet365 Craven Stakes over a mile at 3.35. It should prove a good afternoon for Charlie Appleby and William Buick as they should take this race as well with Master Of The Seas. Another one I backed last season and he looked a real prospect winning the G.2 Superlative Stakes and running well in the G.1 National Stakes in Ireland, perhaps a bit to eager there before fading in final furlong. He was turned over at odds-on on his seasonal debut at Meydan which is a slight concern but that said Naval Crown who beat him that day went very close in the Listed heat Wednesday so the form doesn't look that bad. Hood goes on to concentrate the mind and I have the 3-1 overnight he can get back to winning ways. 

Elsewhere on the card Oxted looks a good thing in the Abernant Stakes but at odds-on is unbackable for me whilst 200,000 guineas yearling, Valiant Prince is an interesting newcomer in the Wood Ditton but I am not backing him at the short price either. 

Be lucky