Adrian Mills' racing tips for Thursday include selections from Newmarket and Clonmel.
It is a busy day in racing, with six meetings taking place across the UK and Ireland, notably the start of Newmarket’s three-day Cambridgeshire meeting.
We have two bets from flat racing’s headquarters, including the Group 3 feature, amongst our selections.
ORTELIUS @ 2/1 (Newmarket 1.50)
MILITARY @ 3/1 (Newmarket 3.35)
ROYAL HOLLOW @ 10/11 (Clonmel 5.23)
Military to rule
The feature race at Newmarket today is the Group 3 Somerville Tattersalls Stakes for two-year-olds and it has an open look with a field of 13 going to post.
Brian Meehan’s Inishfallen holds the highest rating courtesy of his runner-up finish in the Group 3 Solario Stakes at Sandown last time out, but he might have been flattered by that after setting a steady pace.
Owen Burrows’ Alyanaabi was soundly beaten in a Listed race at Ascot last time and will need to raise his game significantly, while there are several promising maiden/novice winners lining up and whichever makes the most improvement will probably score.
The Gosdens saddle Eben Shaddad, who won a 6f novice at this course on debut, but the overall form of that race has taken plenty of knocks. Roger Varian’s Boiling Point won a Thirsk novice last time, but will have to improve plenty on that.
Charlie Appleby has won two of the last three runnings of this and his Haydock novice winner Legend Of Time is respected, while Change For Good, Cross The Tracks and Son Of Man are other debut maiden winners capable of improving.
However, the one to side with is Aidan O’Brien’s MILITARY (3/1), who still looked green when winning over 6f on debut at Navan recently. The trainer’s juveniles invariably improve from their debuts and this Siyouni colt is bred to stay this trip and further.
He holds several Group 1 entries and can win this under Ryan Moore on his way up the ladder.
Ortelius to go one better
In the opening race on the Newmarket card, the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes over 1m, Aidan O’Brien can begin his day with a win for his once-raced colt ORTELIUS (2/1).
This son of Justify cost $1.1Million as a yearling and did plenty wrong on his debut at the Curragh last month over this trip, breaking slowly and running green, but still nearly won.
He should improve a lot from that experience and can go one better. William Haggas’ Wafei was just denied at Haydock on debut and is a danger, while expensive yearling purchases Duke’s Command representing Charlie Appleby and Synchronize for the Gosdens are worth watching for the future.
Royal to hollow out her rivals
Over the jumps at Clonmel, the best bet on the card is in the bumper, the Clonmel INH Flat Race. ROYAL HOLLOW (10/11) has bumped into some smart types in her three previous starts in these contests, but has acquitted herself with credit.
Her conqueror at Killarney last time has since followed up in a maiden hurdle and looks very useful, so with nothing of that calibre likely to be in this field, Andrew Slattery’s mare can take this under decent 7lb claiming amateur A P Ryan.
