Charlie McCann's Horse Racing Tips Wednesday, 5 August - Brighton, Pontefract & Kempton
Charlie heads to Pontefract on Wednesday 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.
3:30pm Brighton - Tex
The first day of Brighton's three-day August meeting, and the feature is the £20k Brighton Mile. My two against the field are Northern Empire and TEX, with preference for the latter, who steps up to a mile for the first time, beaten 2l from a 4lbs lower mark at Nottingham this time last year.
Tex went into many notebooks when a never-nearer ninth at Glorious Goodwood over 6f, beaten just over three lengths. The grey had previously scored at Ascot over 7f from a 4lbs lower mark just five days previously, and this will be his third quick start, but he has looked in the form of his life of late and has run well over ten furlongs in the past.
The five-year-old has never won over a mile and has yet to race at Brighton, but has run well at Epsom's switchback track in the past, and he gets the vote for George Baker, who has saddled four winners in the last fortnight from seventeen runners.
Northern Empire won on the all-weather at the beginning of the year but disappointed on turf and was gelded in June prior to a staying on fifth beaten 4l over 7f at Epsom at the beginning of July. Ashley Lewis takes off a valuable 3lbs on the three-year-old for Ed Walker, and he looks well worth another chance at a mile.
Hills are the only firm betting on the race at the time of writing. They have opened 4/1, but we are likely to get a point bigger on Tuesday evening when other firms publish their prices.
Recommendation: Tex - 11/2 with bet365
3:45pm Pontefract - Cosmos Raj (Each-Way) (Nap)
The veteran Garden Oasis should ensure a decent gallop in the mile handicap, and that should suit COSMOS RAJ (Each-Way) (Nap), who ran a better race than his finishing position would suggest at Doncaster at the weekend when beaten over ten lengths.
That was, however, over ten furlongs and the eight-year-old palpably failed to stay the trip – eleven of twelve career successes over a mile – although he did win over that 10f trip at Ripon last May. David O'Meara's gelding is now a stone lower in the weights than when scoring last July and, while he is zero from seven at Pontefract, he has run some good races in defeat at the track.
There was 1mm of rain on Tuesday morning, but conditions will be on the fast side of good. In an ideal world, the selection would prefer slower ground, but he has won on sound terrain in the past, and this looks a good opportunity.
Conor Whiteley takes over in the saddle for the first time, and he has ridden three winners for the yard in the last fortnight. Well drawn in stall two and with Garden Oasis likely to ensure a strong pace, I will be disappointed if Cosmos Raj does not run a big race.
Recommendation: Cosmos Raj (Each-Way) (Nap) - 14/1 with bet365 (2 places)
8:20pm Kempton - Quadrillion
QUADRILLION has been handicapped (75) on her juvenile form and not her sole run this term when beaten almost four lengths on soft ground at Yarmouth.
This is her all-weather debut, having shaped with considerable promise when third – beaten a length by the 89-rated True Test on debut at Newmarket before finishing second to the 112-rated Alparslan at Leicester, although she was beaten five lengths on that occasion.
Colin Keane has a good book of rides and comes across for six rides – three for Juddmonte – and connections will be keen to get a win next to this well-bred daughter of Kingman, who is out of the Fillies' Mile winner Quadrilateral. Well drawn in stall two, I am surprised that Harry Charlton has decided to switch to the all-weather, but she is bred to be better than a mark of seventy-five.
Piscean Star won first time out over course and distance as a juvenile, and the booking of Oisin Murphy by Ed Dunlop suggests that he is primed for a big run. His all-weather record reads 1-2, and that defeat came when trying to give the 90-rated Rosa Inglesa 5lbs at Chelmsford back in September.
He looks feasibly treated off seventy-seven on handicap debut and has the plum draw in stall one. He is the chief threat to the Charlton filly in a cracking handicap.
Recommendation: Quadrillion - 13/2 with Paddy Power
*Betting odds correct at the time of publication. All odds are subject to changes.
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