Charlie McCann's Horse Racing Tips Thursday, 1 October - Salisbury, Nottingham & Southwell
Charlie heads to Southwell on Thursday 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.
4:24pm Salisbury - Bnaider
I thought BNAIDER looked a three-year-old to follow when bolting up at Haydock back in the spring on good to soft ground, but he has been off the track since that fluent success back in May. Harry Charlton has his string on good form, and this gelded son of New Bay may have been kept back for an autumn campaign.
Four winners have come out of that Haydock race, although the form is nothing special, if that is not a contradiction in terms. A 7lbs rise is fair given the ease of his Haydock success, but he must overcome a 132-day absence in a competitive heat. He carried his head awkwardly when challenging at Haydock and was reluctant to enter the stalls, but he will be fresher than most and gets the nod in the first of two fascinating divisions of the 10f handicap.
Amo Racing probably didn't have a £12k Salisbury handicap in mind for Maldives when they forked out 2,900,000gns as a yearling, and she has only beaten one horse home in her last two starts. She has been off the track since finishing tailed off in the Ribblesdale, and her penultimate start was also in pattern company – last of six in the 10f Pretty Polly at Newmarket in May.
Her only worthwhile form came on debut when runner-up in a 10f Yarmouth Novice to a 79-rated rival. She remains a filly of potential after just three career starts, and connections will be keen to get a win next to her name for the breeding sheds. A market move would be significant.
Recommendation: Bnaider - 9/4 with bet365
2:33pm Nottingham - Corsican Caper
My two against the field in the 2m2f handicap are Regally Blond and CORSICAN CAPER, with marginal preference for the latter.
Regally Blond helped force too strong a pace when beaten 6l in fourth over C&D back in mid-summer, and it is easy to forgive her latest run at Ripon on ground (soft) which had gone against her. She is likely to be ridden less aggressively this afternoon.
The grey Corsican Caper won a 3m handicap hurdle back in the spring and backed that up when a staying on third over 2m1f at Bath in June. He was off the track three months before a disappointing return at Chester on ground, arguably, too slow last month. He should be a different proposition back on good ground, and he will relish this extreme test of stamina.
A market move for Pacific Storm would be significant in such a weak race, but his breeding, or form to date, does not suggest this test will suit, although he represents a yard coming out of the doldrums of a poor summer.
Recommendation: Corsican Caper - 9/2 with bet365
3:25pm Southwell - Gaelic Rambler (Nap)
A cracking jumps card at Southwell, and James Owen has yet to get to the bottom of Back It Up, who won four of his eight starts in point-to-points. He was returning from a 10-month lay-off when fading from two out at Uttoxeter over this 2m4f trip last month, and a market move would be worth noting. It is possible that we don't see the best of him until he turns his attention to the larger obstacles, but he is one to keep onside. He needs decent ground, so it is likely to be sooner rather than later.
I am kicking myself for not recommending GAELIC RAMBLER (Nap), who improved for the application of first-time blinkers when winning a chase from a 6lbs lower mark at Uttoxeter last month. He reverts to hurdles today, but these Southwell hurdles are mini-fences, and he has always struck me as an accident waiting to happen.
Yes, the headgear may not work the oracle a second time, and Jonjo O'Neill is currently serving a five-day ban, but I like Richie McLernon and the hope is that Gaelic Rambler can follow up from a 6lbs higher mark.
Recommendation: Gaelic Rambler (Nap) - 9/4 with bet365
This is Charlie's Nap of the Day selection - see how it stacks up against Alan Kelly's pick too.
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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