Charlie McCann’s Horse Racing Tips For Friday, 5 June - Epsom & Thirsk
Charlie heads to Thirsk on Friday for his best bet
It's a busy day of racing action in the UK and Ireland, and Charlie McCann is here with his exclusive free horse racing tips - only at FreeBets.com.
The ground for Oaks Day at Epsom is likely to be good to soft after the rain earlier in the week (33mm on Tuesday), with a largely dry forecast.
There is likely to be further rain on Saturday morning, but conditions for tomorrow's Derby should also be just on the soft side of good.
It will be interesting to see if the jockeys migrate to the stands' side in the 6f Woodcote Stakes, the second race on the card. The norm is that on soft ground the horses come stands' side in the straight, but will they on good to soft ground?
2:40pm Epsom - Persica
PERSICA won the Group 3 Diomed Stakes twelve months ago – giving 3lbs to the subsequent Group 1 winner Docklands - and is taken to follow up with any ease in the ground, considered a positive for Richard Hannon's five-year-old, who is unbeaten in two starts at the track and won at this corresponding meeting for the last two years. The Hannon yard is in tremendous form with five winners from their last seven runners at the time of writing.
The selection is drawn in stall one, which is considered the plum draw here over a mile, but that could be negated if they migrate to the stands' side. He finished a nose behind Boiling Point at Newmarket on his seasonal reappearance, but the latter would prefer a sound surface, and I will be disappointed if Persica cannot reverse the form.
Ice Max finished second to Persica here last year, and the more rain the better for the grey, but I thought Persica was always getting there twelve months ago, under Ryan Moore. Qirat won the Group 1 Sussex Stakes at Goodwood from the front, but he will not get a soft lead in this field and, while he has run well with cut in the ground, his best form is on a sounder surface.
Recommendation: Persica - 5/2 with bet365
3:15pm Epsom - Auld Toon Loon (Each-Way)
If you believe the horses will come stands' side, then market leaders the lightly raced four-year-olds Sallaal (15) and Respond (16) have plum draws, but they are short enough in the betting (7/2 and 9/2 respectively), and the hope is that they race far side in the straight as I want to back AULD TOON LOON (Each-Way). He will relish any cut in the ground.
The selection – trained by Tom Dascombe – has 8lbs to find with Respond on Chester running, but he is 9lbs better off at the weights, and he had a desperate draw on the Roodeye and had to forfeit ground tucking in at the back of the field. That was his first start for 267 days, and he was beaten just half a length at Windsor last week when he didn't get the best of runs at a crucial stage, although he could not be considered an unlucky loser. Kieran Shoemark takes over in the saddle for the first time.
Tycoon is a horse I feel will win a big handicap this season, and I was going to split stakes with Auld Toon Loon, but at 18/1 I must be with the Dascombe-trained seven-year-old and will watch Tycoon, who finished third at Newmarket last time over nine furlongs, giving every indication he is now ready for a step up in distance.
Tycoon has yet to race on ground with soft in the official description, and, as a son of Kingman, he may not appreciate Thursday's forecast of heavy showers, but he is one to keep onside this summer over 10f on good or faster ground.
Recommendation: Auld Toon Loon (Each-Way) - 18/1 with William Hill (4 places) or 16/1 with bet365 (5 places)
4:40pm Epsom - Man Of La Mancha & Principality
I think Amelia Earhart should win the Oaks, but she makes little appeal as a betting medium, and the nearest I got to a recommendation was K Serra each way, but, in the end, I decided it will be a watching brief.
Of more interest is the extended mile handicap, and my two against the field are MAN OF LA MANCHA and PRINCIPALITY, and I will back them both.
Man Of La Mancha (2) won at Sandown on soft ground back in August from a 9lbs lower mark, so will relish the cut in the ground and ran well at Newbury in a valuable handicap last time despite meeting interference at the furlong pole. This slightly longer trip will suit, Rossa Ryan has a good draw in stall two, although by this stage of the card we will know if the field will come stands' side or keep to the far rail.
Principality won over a mile at Nottingham from a 2lbs lower mark last time and is another who will relish the ease in the ground. He won at the less than Glorious Goodwood meeting last year on ground officially described as heavy, but the time suggested it was good to soft.
George Wood takes over in the plate for Harry Eustace with Benoit De La Sayette, who was in the saddle at Colwick Park, at Doncaster and Kaiya Fraser at Thirsk. The jockey booking is a slight concern, but he looks sure to run a big race.
Recommendations: Man Of La Mancha - 15/2 with bet365 & Principality - 17/2 with bet365
4:10pm Thirsk - King Of Berkshire (Nap)
I am looking forward to seeing KING OF BERKSHIRE (Nap) step up to 12f for the first time, having looked in need of further – or a stronger gallop – when third at Windsor last time. He ran well when second at Yarmouth on his handicap debut before going one better when making all at Redcar on his penultimate start.
The second at Redcar – Sudbury Hill – ran much better than his finishing position would suggest at York last month, while the Yarmouth winner – Room Fourteen – ran a terrific race when second at Ascot from a 6lbs higher mark next time.
Andrew Balding continues to have more than his fair share of winners, and PJ McDonald takes over in the plate with Oisin Murphy and Jason Watson at Epsom.
As stated previously, Kaiya Fraser is at Thirsk, and he rides Forever Perfect for Rebecca Menzies. The pair combined to score at Wolverhampton from an 8lbs lower mark back in April, and she is considered the chief threat.
Recommendation: King Of Berkshire (Nap) - 5/4 with bet365
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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