Best bets for the horse racing Thursday 18th May

I have had a poor start to the week, two bets resulting in a fourth beaten a length and a second beaten a neck; frustrating but not too much damage done. 

I mentioned the Thursday evening meeting at Sandown earlier this week and it is a nice card; if you can get there, I would recommend popping along as the evening meetings at Sandown are always fun especially with the sun shining. I fancy three but spoiler alert all three are quite skinny prices.  I do also have one that should be worth an investment out in France. 

Best bet for the horse racing at Longchamp in France 

Before the evening at Sandown park there is a race I want to bet in at Longchamp the 1m1f Listed Finlande Stakes at 4.16. Raclette was a disappointing eighth of nine when favourite in the G3 Prix de la Grotte last time out but the winner of that race Rosacea, a filly that became my Poule d'Essai des Pouliches bet, ran well to finish fourth in the big one so the form isn't perhaps as bad as it looks on paper. Dropping down in class and up a furlong in trip she should get back to winning ways here and will be backed if any sort of fair price is available when the Bookies go up.  

Best bets for the horse racing at Sandown Park

They get underway at 5.40 with the 5f Watch Racing Online Free With Coral British EBF Fillies' Novice Stakes for the two-year-olds. Juddmonte owned and trained by Andrew Balding Chasseral is by that top Australian sprinter Exceed And Excel out of Juddmonte owned Listed miler winner Swiss Range who was third on debut at Newmarket over 5f last month. A little keen she perhaps spoilt her chance there but the race looks a fair one as the second has won since. The yard does alright with their juveniles, two winners already this Turf campaign, and with that experience at Newmarket in her favour she is the pick for this at 11-8.  

Straight after at 6.15 we are at the other end of the stamina spectrum with the1m6f Coral 'Beaten-By-A-Length' Free Bet Handicap. Deciduous doesn’t have a stayer's pedigree particularly being by Dubawi out of miler Black Cherry but he appears to want a trip. A comfortable winner of 1m4f Novices Stakes at Wolverhampton on debut in February he was fifth in a Novice Stakes at Kempton after down to 1m3f, the colt bounced back to winning ways when landing a Leicester handicap on turf debut last month back up to 1m4f.He is giving away a fair amount of weight here but with improvement likely for the step-up in trip I am on at 7-4. If the selection doesn’t stay Moonlit Warrior off bottom weight is feared as that gelding has won his last two having stepped up to this sort trip.  

The main event is the Mile Listed Coral Heron Stakes at 7.15. Just the six line-up and there isn’t a great deal of form to go on. Reach For The Moon owned by the Queen (gawd bless her) was in with some of the best as a two-year-old and won the G.3 Solario Stakes over seven furlongs here in August. He was of course at the top of the Derby market but having suffered a setback or two in his prep he won’t be going to Epsom. Trainer John Gosden said earlier this month "We had planned to run him in the Dante Stakes at York. However, in the best interests of horse we have decided that this race is coming too soon for him. Consequently, he will not run in the Derby and will be pointed towards Royal Ascot." The concern is naturally will the trip here be too short but if he is to contest the G.2 1m4f King Edward VII Stakes at the Royal meeting he will need to put in a performance here. I have 13-8. You would expect Akhu Najla has plenty more to offer after his recent win and is the danger.