The ITV Racing Sunday Series is back this weekend, as the cameras focus through the card at Musselburgh. GG tipster Joe Napier has four best bets to end the weekend on a high.
4.15 Musselburgh – Sky Bet Club British EBF Novice Stakes
Harswell Calling is the only runner with racecourse experience, but he was down the field in the Brocklesby and there are enough rivals of interest on breeding that he’ll surely find at least one too good. Clear Force and Dickensian represent strong connections, but it could be that FRIO gets underestimated by the market as a result.
John & Sean Quinn strike at a decent rate with their two-year-olds and the selection is a son of Havana Grey, whose juveniles are regularly among the most precocious, as he was himself. The dam’s family was generally full of useful performers even though she was not one herself and that bodes well for him to be ripe for this first time up.
5.15 Musselburgh – Sky Bet Extra Places Handicap
Tokyo Bay is interesting on his first start after wind surgery, but the seven-year-old SIMPLE STAR has a fine record over course and distance. His recent form has seen him slip to a very tempting handicap mark.
Dianne Sayer’s charge has form figures over track and trip of 12123, the third coming by just a short neck last August. Since then, he failed to stay over 2m2f, as well as being disappointing on the all-weather, but his form on those surfaces is far patchier than on turf.
Back under his ideal conditions here, he is 2lb lower for that Musselburgh third just three starts ago and 4lb below the mark he was second off in this a year ago. As long as age is not catching up with him, he should be involved given his love of the venue.
6.15 Musselburgh – Sky Bet Proud To Support ROR Handicap
This race does not look as strong as the one contested by VIBRATO at Doncaster two weeks ago. With Jennie Candlish’s yard having enjoyed a good spell on the flat since the turn of the year and the selection seemingly coming to the boil, he may be an interesting one to catch here.
The four-year-old has only raced on turf twice, finishing second of three at Bath in October then sixth on Town Moor last time out. However, he misbehaved before the off ands till finished above midfield in a race that, on paper, looked hotter than this one.
He is now 3lb below his last winning mark from as recently as December 29th, but he is trending upwards and could be a livewire outsider.
6.45 Musselburgh – Sky Bet For The Fans Handicap
His form tailed off slightly towards the end of last season, but there were probably excuses for NEW IMAGE, who won after a long absence to begin last season and retains scope to be better than his mark of 95.
He will sport first-time headgear here, which is a slight concern, but he won four times in all in 2024, claiming handicaps at Southwell and Ascot, as well as over course and distance last June. He was only ninth of 14 back at Ascot in September, but that was on soft ground for his tenth run of a mammoth season, so the break may well have done him good.
If he fit and firing, he will likely try and come from off the pace with Danny Tudhope playing him late, but there is every chance that good late work will see him into the money.
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