A NEW series of racing arrives at Chelmsford Racecourse this week with the start of Thursday night action at the track, with the first of seven weeks of racing at the track kicking off this week.
The first race of the meeting on Thursday gets underway at 4.20pm with an amateur jockeys handicap in class six before the action-packed card comes to a close at 8.30pm with a one mile handicap also in class six.
Read below to discover the latest tips for Thursday’s card at Chelmsford courtesy of OLBG.
The opening contest on the card (4.20) is an amateur jockeys’ handicap over the one mile and two furlong distance with a field of eight set to line up at the start. Laser Focus looked better than ever when scoring at Brighton just two days ago and if he is turned out quickly, he will take all the beating for trainer James Owen. Should the six-year-old be given a break, then three-time course and distance winner The Bay Warrior should give a good account of himself off the back of winning a nine-runner handicap at Southwell a fortnight ago.
A field of 12 will take on race two of the afternoon (4.55) in the class six handicap over five furlongs, with preference heading the way of The Defiant, a previous course and distance winner who has been eased 2lb in the weights as a result of a very green last place at Brighton on his last spin which didn’t show his true potential. Thismydream for trainer Michael Attwater, racing off the same mark as when second at Brighton last time out, rates the main threat.
Race three on the card is the class five handicap over one mile and six furlongs (5.30) and of the seven-runner field, Saint Riquier should make it three wins in four starts having been turned over at Brighton last time out when expected to complete the treble. With the handicapper waiting with a 10lb rise in the weights for his previous wins, now is as good a time as any for the Ian Williams-trained runner to pick up £5,000 in winning prize money here before things get tougher.
Lewis Barnes was a runner up at Chelmsford on his penultimate start and can go one better in race four on the card (6.00) with the blinkers applied and being eased in the weights, while race five (6.30) marks the halfway point of the meeting and Cut To The Chase is taken to get the job done on polytrack debut off the back of a decent third of eight in a Brighton handicap earlier in the season.
Eleven runners will line up for race six (7.00) over the seven furlong distance, with preference heading Capallcliste for trainer Dominic Ffrench Davis, who has been knocking on the door recently with two seconds at Lingfield and is taken to finally get off the winning mark at the 19th attempt. Twitch can give a good account of himself here for trainer Craig Benton, on a losing run of 11 but was a good second in a course and distance handicap at the back end of last month.
Master Dandy resumed winning ways at Lingfield last week and is the one to beat in race seven of Chelmsford’s card on Thursday (7.30), while the penultimate race of the evening (8.00) should go to Saigon Dream, who will likely go off a very heavy odds-on favourite after landing a second at Kempton last time out at whopping odds of 66/1 surprising plenty and showing a marked improvement from his debut run.
Finally, the card comes to a close with a class six handicap over the mile distance (8.30), with preference in the finale heading the way of Forever Proud, who only narrowly failed to land a gamble for his new yard of James Owen having switched from trainer Mark Hoad’s team but should build on that opening run here to land the top prize.
Chelmsford selections – Thursday
4.20 – Laser Focus
4.55 – The Defiant
5.30 – Saint Riquier
6.00 – Lewis Barnes
6.30 – Cut To The Chase
7.00 – Capallcliste
7.30 – Master Dandy
8.00 – Saigon Dream
8.30 – Forever Proud
