Enda McElhinney's racing tips for Thursday include selections from Yarmouth, Ayr and Chelmsford.
Plenty of racing action to take in across Britain and Ireland on Thursday with five meetings scheduled.
They include the first day of Ayr’s Gold Cup Festival and the concluding afternoon of the Eastern Festival at Yarmouth.
They are joined by action from Pontefract, Listowel and an evening all-weather card at Chelmsford on a day when Flat racing holds sway. We have three to follow across the day’s cards.
Selections
Gone (Yarmouth, 17:05) @ 3/1
Volterra (Ayr, 13:20) @ 5/6
Ehraz (Chelmsford, 19:00) @ 11/4
Gone ready to strike at Yarmouth
It’s been a good few days of racing at Yarmouth and their Eastern Festival concludes on Thursday.
The Drifters Fish & Chips Handicap should offer GONE (3/1) a decent chance to pick up some reward for a really consistent recent run of form.
Charlie Johnston’s filly has four turf wins on her CV already and has been knocking on the door for another lately, with three seconds in her last four starts.
At Bath (1m, good) this month she was perhaps a bit keen and got to the lead earlier than might have been ideal. The winner picked her off late and Gone is only rated 1lb higher now – leaving her officially 2lb ‘well-in’ on ratings.
Jack Mitchell picks up the ride on this Gustav Klimt filly for the first and is a man riding well, with a 50 per-cent strike-rate from his last ten. He could bag another winner in this Yarmouth event.
Ryan can get off to Ayr flyer
The Ayr Gold Cup meeting starts on Thursday afternoon and trainer Kevin Ryan may hold the keys to the first two contests.
He saddles VOLTERRA (5/6) in the opening British Stallion Studs EBF Novice Stakes over 7f and the Farhh colt can be expected to come forward after last month’s York debut in the Convivial Maiden – routinely a hot race on the Knavesmire.
This 400,000 gns colt split a pair of next-time-out winners en route to a close fourth at York and was getting the hang of things late on. A win surely beckons.
Stablemate Sisyphean was right behind him that day and runs in the following Western House Hotel EBF Novice Stakes on this Ayr card – ensuring Ryan will be eyeing up some quick success – rather like 12 months ago when Chuzzlewit and Hi Royal won the same two events for his string.
Ehraz in Chelmsford compensation bid
Richard Hannon will be hoping that all-weather debutant EHRAZ (11/4) can make his visit to Chelmsford a compensatory one.
The Showcasing gelding – a two-time winner on the turf from a dozen starts – was a beaten less than a length at York last month in the Constantine Handicap behind the ultra-consistent Summerghand.
Held up, he was on the wrong side of the track away from where the main action unfolded and his effort can likely be upgraded in the circumstances. If he handles this synthetic surface, Jim Crowley can help him get some reward and a first win of 2023 in doing so.
