A BUMPER card of nine races is set for the off at Chelmsford Racecourse on Thursday evening at the track’s latest all-weather meeting.
The action kicks off on Halloween at 4.30pm with a novice stakes in class five before the card comes to a close four hours later at 8.30pm as eight runners tackle the class four handicap.
Read below to discover the latest tips and preview of the Chelmsford card with data and insights provided by the expert racecards available on The Horse’s Mouth.
The opening contest on the Chelmsford card sees a big field of 14 head to the stalls for the seven furlong handicap in class five (4.30). Fifth Column is heading in the right direction after a second at Kempton 41 days ago when clear of the rest so is taken to get off the winning mark for trainers John & Thady Gosden, who boast an impressive 25% strike rate when sending runners to the Essex track. Cy Twombly for Simon & Ed Crisford heads the list of dangers, an encouraging fourth on debut at Kempton 22 days ago and showed enough that there should be even more to come.
Trainer Jane Chapple-Hyam enjoys a 13% win rate in class five handicaps and she sends Nammos to Chelmsofrd for trace two on the card (5.00), a winner at this track in August and a good second over course and distance earlier this month so should be bang in with a shout once again. Epic Express won an 11-runner handicap at this venue 28 days ago to bounce back to form in a big way and is second choice here, having to shoulder a 3lb rise in the weights for that success.
A field of 11 two-year-old’s will take on division one of the class five maiden stakes at 5.30 to mark race three on the card, with preference heading the way of the promising Fiorella Princess for trainer Amy Murphy, a second at Doncaster five months ago setting the standard on form. Jockey Ryan Sexton has the best win record of the pilots in this race at this track at 17% and he rides On Key, who is bred to be better than he has shown so far with a sixth last time out but was second on debut, so is one to keep an eye on here.
Division two of the same discipline is race four of the evening at Chelmsford (6.00) and Little She for trainer Marcus Tregoning is likely to go off a very short price, a fair fourth on debut 20 days ago which was promising and this is a much more straightforward assignment.
Trainer Murphy could secure a quickfire double on the card in race five as Prada On Parole looks set to line up in a field of 13 for the class six nursery contest (6.30), with Murphy’s runner a good second here last month in a race where more runners have questions next to their names than answers.
Bint Havana Gold looks the one to beat in the sixth race on the card (7.00) as nine runners head to the start for the class six handicap over six furlongs. Richard Hughes’s runner can capitalise on a reduced mark here but looked as still having plenty of form when second last time out at Wolverhampton.Three-time course and distance winner Sir Rodneyredblood rates the chief threat, a winner at Lingfield in August and fourth of 11 in a Kempton content just over a fortnight ago.
Trainer Patrick Morris has yet to have a winner at Chelmsford but has only sent six runners to the track and has a very good chance e to get off the mark in race seven (7.30) with Street Life, who is easy to side with in a weak-looking contest having landed a 9/2 price at Wolverhampton 12 days ago, while the penultimate race on the card (8.00) can go the way of Lokana for trainer David O’Meara, a good second at Thirsk last time out and makes his debut on the polytrack here and is worth a look.
Finally, the action-packed card comes to a close in Essex with an eight-runner handicap in class four over the one mile and two furlong distance (8.30). Imitate took a positive step forward last time out and should be suited by this step up in trip if he can keep his average speeds up at 58.86kph, the fastest speed of any horse in this race on the all-weather surface. Tribal Wisdom won a 10-runner handicap in the midlands 12 days ago and rates a big player too.
Chelmsford selections – Thursday
4.30 – Fifth Column
5.00 – Nammos
5.30 – Fiorella Princess
6.00 – Little She
6.30 – Prada On Parole
7.00 – Bint Havana Gold
7.30 – Street Life
8.00 – Lokana
8.30 – Imitate
