THE opening contest on the card sees a field of eight head to the start to take on the five furlong nursery contrast in class six (4.38). Dubai Magic is the one to beat in the opener, only narrowly losing out in a nursery at Wolverhampton last time out ten days ago and runs here off the same mark for jockey Neil Callan, who has a 14% strike rate when heading to Chelmsford.
A maiden stakes marks race two on the Thursday card (5.13) with a good field of 14 set to take on the class five contest over six furlongs. It’s perhaps not the strongest maiden on paper but Heaven Knows is probably the pick of the bunch having gone close at this track six days ago, hitting an average speed of 37mph in the process so is the quickest of the field with experience in this sphere. Leblon Girl is the likely main danger, a twice-raced filly for trainer Alice Haynes that was second at Ripon last time out with the prospect of improvement to come.
Gifted Angel ran a career-best for new trainer Jack Jones when scoring in a Wolverhampton handicap ten days ago and can follow up in Essex in race three (5.45) with the four-year-old enjoying a 59% success rate to make the places at least in 17 career runs. Previous course winner Wannabe Brave is the chief threat and can defy a 2lb hike in the weights for winning at Lingfield last time out.
Nine runners will head to the start for race four on the card in the class six nursery over one mile and two furlongs (6.15). The Tim Easterby-trained Bebside looks the one to beat here, taking a big step forward when a neck second to the re-opposing Moonlit Stage at Newcastle a week ago and is now 2lb better off in the weights against his rival from the Ed Dunlop yard.
Earl Of Rochester shaped well in a competitive Newmarket maiden last time out and the John & Thady Gosden-trained runner is the selection in race five at Chelmsford (6.45) despite a big absence from the track of 175 days, while race six (7.15) can go the way of Ultramarine, a previous course winner who took a step in the right direction after a bit of a lull to land a nine runner handicap at Wolverhampton a fortnight back.
The penultimate race of the evening arrives at 7.45 as a field of seven tackle the mile fillies’ handicap for horses aged three and upwards. Silver Night has run three times at this track and has finished in the places twice, including a second last time out three weeks ago and is taken to go one better here for trainers Jim and Suzi Best, who have a 22% place success rate in this sphere.
Finally, the card comes to a close with the a big field handicap as 13 runners will travel over the mile distance at 8.15, with preference in the finale heading the way of Cobh Harbour, who has slipped to an appealing mark – having been at a high of 60 and runs here off 49 – making polytrack debut for trainer David Loughnane and was a creditable third of ten in a Wolverhampton handicap last month.
Chelmsford selections – Thursday
4.38 – Dubai Magic
5.13 – Heaven Knows
5.45 – Gifted Angel
6.15 – Bebside
6.45 – Earl Of Rochester
7.15 – Ultramarine
7.45 – Silver Night
8.15 – Cobh Harbour
