The penultimate meeting of the flat season at Thirsk takes place on Saturday with an eight-race card on offer for punters heading to the track.
Racing gets underway at 2.05pm with a class five nursery contest before the card comes to a close with a class four handicap in division two at 6.10pm.
Read below to discover the latest tips and a full meeting preview for Thirsk’s card on Saturday courtesy of OLBG:
The card kicks off at 2.05 as nine runners take on the five-furlong nursery contest in class five. In a wide-open contest, preference can be made for Managing Director in the opener for trainer Bryan Smart, who was found out a tad in a tougher assignment than this at York last time out but in these calmer waters, should excel. Bella Love was a runner-up on her last spin at Beverley 24 days ago and rates the best of the rest.
Race two of the afternoon (2.40) is another nursery contest, this time over seven furlongs and has a field of 13 tackling the straight. Testimony, for trainer Tim Easterby, has been gradually brought along in novice races and is now pitched into nurseries for the first time off a low mark with blinkers on for the first time. Of his rivals, What’s She At rates the big danger having won a nine-runner maiden at Redcar 48 days ago with a bit in hand.
A big field of 18 will head to the stalls for race three on the card – a six-furlong novice stakes in class (3.10) – and Huscal looks the one to beat for trainer Charlie Hills, a winner at Ripon last time out to confirm the promise of their debut and a runner that holds an entry in the Group 2 Mill Reef Stakes at Newbury later this month. Mearall is another previous winner running under a penalty here so is the clear threat in race three.
Mukaafah was a disappointment at Royal Ascot when last seen off the back of a thumping win at Doncaster but is taken to regain that form in race four of Thirsk’s card this weekend (3.50) – the class three Rudding Park Handicap which is the feature race of the day. The ultra-consistent Mythical Phoenix for trainer Julie Camacho should be bang up there too, having placed in all six starts since the Spring, while Grant Wood is enjoying a productive campaign for trainer Philip Midgely and runs off a career-high mark here off the back of a win at Ripon on his last spin.
Another class three contest follows in race four (4.25) with a field of seven tackling the seven-furlong trip. The Tom Clover-trained Rajindri looks the one to beat here, a winner twice over this distance last season and again at Kempton back in May, but Triumph Of Peace from the high-powered William Haggas yard will have a say, a winner of a ten-runner novice at Salisbury last month.
Haptics was a multiple winner in France and should have enough to get the job done for new trainer David O’Meara in race six on Saturday (5.00), while the penultimate race of the day (5.35) can go the way of Al Muqdad, a four-time winner this year that was a good fourth at Ripon last time out so could provide a quickfire double on the card for O’Meara.
Finally, the card comes to a close with a class four handicap over the seven-furlong distance with 11 runners taking it on (6.10) and of the field, preference heads the way of the Charlie Hills-trained Racingbreaks Ryder, who has hit the frame in stronger contests than this having not enjoyed the switch to the all-weather surface last time around at Southwell.
Thirsk selections – Saturday
2.05 – Managing Director
2.40 – Testimony
3.10 – Huscal
3.50 – Mukaafah
4.25 – Rajindri
5.00 – Haptics
5.35 – Al Muqdad
6.10 – Racingbreaks Ryder
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