THE all-weather campaign continues at Chelmsford Racecourse on Thursday with an action-packed nine-race card on offer in Essex.
Racing gets underway at 4.25pm with an apprentice handicap in class five before the action comes to a close at 8.30pm when nine runners take on the one mile and two furlong handicap, also in class five.
Read below to discover the latest tips and a full preview of Chelmsford’s card on Thursday courtesy of Punters Lounge, who offer the best Cheltenham Festival racecards throughout the four days of the showpiece meeting in March.
The opening contest of the card (4.25) sees seven runners tackle the two-mile apprentice jockey handicap. The Tony Carroll-trained The Craftymaster brought up his seventh win on the all-weather since last December when scoring at Newcastle way back in March and has been slowly coming to the boil this season, a good second last time out at Lingfield and is taken to get his first win of the campaign this week.
Despite a poor run last time out, War Zone looks the way to go in race two at Chelmsford (5.00), a previous course and distance winner that also scored here in October last year for trainer Chelsea Banham.
The third race of the evening (5.30) is a five furlong sprint handicap in class four with a field of seven set to head to the stalls to take it on. The Kevin Ryan-trained True Promise had four wins from 12 runs last year and has a good chance of adding to that in Essex, rating as the form pick having headed back in the right direction when second at Southwell a fortnight back. Of his rivals Secret Mistral rates the next best, a career-best winner of a course and distance handicap a fortnight ago for the Carroll yard.
Seven runners aged between three and five-years-old will tackle the six furlong maiden stakes in class five to mark race four on the card (6.00) with preference heading the way of Noble Victory for trainer James Tate, second on debut at Southwell 14 days ago when the penny eventually dropped and roared home so can go one better here, while race five (6.30) can go to Lessay, without a win in 12 starts but looked back to form when third of ten in a Wolverhampton handicap last time out and has top jockey Rossa Ryusan booked to ride at Chelmsford.
A class six division one handicap marks the next race on the card (7.00) and of the ten runners taking on the seven furlong trip, Ceira G could be worth siding with for the Michael Keady team, who is entitled to build on her first start for four months when finishing midfield at Southwell 40 days ago, while division two of the same discipline (7.30) should head to Missile Mac, a creditable third in a Wolverhampton handicap when last seen and is now 1lb lower in the weights.
A mile and a quarter fillies’ novice stakes is the penultimate race on Thursday evening in Essex (8.00) and there is a lot to like about Likealot for the Ralph Beckett team, a Camelot filly that is closely related to smart winner Checkandchallenge and is a very interesting newcomer for a powerful yard, while the finale of the meeting (8.30) can head the way of the in-form Solanna, a winner at Kempton in December and was a good second over course and distance in December.
Chelmsford selections – via Sporting Life
4.25 – The Craftymaster
5.00 – War Zone
5.30 – True Promise
6.00 – Noble Victory
6.30 – Lessay
7.00 – Ceira G
7.30 – Missile Mac
8.00 – Likealot
8.30 – Solanna
