Bet of the day: Thursday’s Racing
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Our NAP goes on the fibresand
Coral’s horse racing punters have six races at Southwell on Thursday to sort through and we lend a helping hand by picking out our best bet of the card, as well as a selection in every race. We tipped up a 9/1 winner yesterday, let’s build on that!
Going in with our NAP of the day nice and early, wasting no time with a strong interest in the second contest, the 2.20pm. A one-mile three-furlong handicap is the challenge ahead of this six-runner field and I will be surprised if Footlight doesn’t lead them home.
Footlight loves Southwell
The Richard Fahey trained four-year-old filly has already proven her liking for this track, grabbing the first of her two career wins at Southwell, taking the prize money over one-mile in March of last year, leading home Never Say by a comfortable margin, despite going off at a chunky SP.
She’s not done an awful lot to impress since, but did get her head in front again at Catterick and has been threatening a return to winning form of late, finishing as runner-up in each of her last two goes, both around Lingfield. The last of those came early in January, when beaten a length by Heads You Win.
She took the race by the scruff of the neck that day, before rallying to finish as an eye-catcher. The extra distance here should play to her advantage and, having a firm grip of what is expected on fibresand, she must be trusted to improve. Paul Hanagan sits in the saddle and that goes as another positive to our chances.
Shearian hat-trick hero
Later in the day and our next best lines-up in the penultimate race, the 4.05pm one-mile handicap, that should see Shearian give us something to cheer home. The bang in-form seven-year-old gelding arrives at track chasing a course and distance hat-trick, and looks to have been given every chance to get it.
The selection won around here in December, followed it up with more of the same on New Year’s Day and can get February off to a flyer too. Jockey Phil Dennis was in charge for each of those two victories and is back doing the steering here.
Southwell Selections
1.45 – Treaty of Rome
2.20 – Footlight
2.55 – My Renaissance
3.30 – Serenity Now
4.05 – Shearian
4.35 – Harwoods Star
