Three Bets for Thursday

I will write these races up in the morning. I am backing :

Ceara Be at 9/2 in the 1.35

Gortroe Joe at 13/8 in the 2.15

WestWizard at 7/1 in the 3.15

Race write-up

1.35 Market Rasen Ceara Be is quite lightly raced and showed improved from for a step up in trip last time where she travelled well throughout before becoming distracted by a loose horse coming down the home straight. She idled markedly close home, winning with a fair bit more in hand than the neck verdict indicates.

She’s the best looking horse in the field to my eye, and is probably still strengthening up.

2.15 Ludlow Gortroe Joe impressed me with his first run over fences. It’s possible he’d have won but for a disagreement with his rider four out. He races with enthusiasm and courage and on that one chase run clocked a timefigure on Topspeed better than anything in this field has amassed in an aggregate 63 runs.

I like him a lot.

3.15 Ludlow West Wizard is a bit more speculative than the other two. He’s had 4 runs this season and, had he not unseated on his second outing when going well, would probably have registered three performances in a row in the 116 to 120 bracket on Racing Post Ratings. He disappointed last time in heavy ground, going from travelling very nicely to nothing in a matter of strides.

The suddenness with which he stopped could have indicated a breathing problem, and he’s had a wind op since that run (it’s worth noting that some recently published data questions the effectiveness of wind surgery in general)

Returning on better ground today, I think West Wizard is value in this field to get back on the winning track. He’s 5/1 now from 7/1 last night.

Good luck

Joe