Jonathan Bead
Discover the thrilling action of Wolverhampton and Hexham on a busy Thursday on Sky Sports Racing, featuring a hat-trick seeker for trainer Ruth Carr.
8.00 Wolverhampton – Athmad & Young Fire’s electrifying contest in feature handicap
The Spreadex Sports £300 Spread Betting Cashback Handicap (8.00) promises a cut-throat competition with some of the best in-form rivals heading a field of seven.
Notably, Ruth Carr’s relentless Athmad intends to make history by clinching the victory after securing two consecutive wins at Southwell and here. The courageous colt will strive for his eleventh career win.
David O’Meara’s resilient Young Fire returned to form last time, winning over the same course and distance. He will be a crowd favorite with Mark Winn keeping the ride.
Oh Herberts Reign has shown some improved performances since switching to the all-weather track. Moreover, he steps back to a mile for the first time since his juvenile days in 2021 at the Royal Ascot meet. His solid form suggests that he is a formidable contender for this race.
Double Time is of interest for trainer Sir Mark Todd as the five-year-old gelding debuts his newly acquired wind surgery. With Oisin Murphy on board, he will be an intriguing runner.
Oh Herberts Reign heads out past racegoers at Royal Ascot
7.00 Wolverhampton – Debut winner Cicero’s Gift faces emerging talent Bussento
The It’s Time To Turn To talkSPORT Restricted Novice Stakes (7.00) features a fascinating collision between debut winner Cicero’s Gift and the highly-promising Bussento.
The former, trained by Charlie Hills, stunned the racing world when he won at Newbury at imposing odds of 22/1 last October. He carries a 7lb penalty after that win.
Bussento, from the stables of Eve Johnson Houghton, had three runs on the turf as a juvenile and delivered an awe-inspiring performance on his recent start at Newbury in September. His prospect is very promising.
The Harry Eustace-trained Docklands was between a pair of subsequent winners on his only start last year at Haydock, and he could make significant improvements to his three-year-old campaign.
3.20 Hexham – Twoshotsoftequila tops eight in feature
Twoshotsoftequila made a mark over fences at the fourth attempt for Rebecca Menzies at Doncaster earlier this month. He now heads to Hexham as top weight in the Join Our Bet Club At Vickers.Bet Handicap Chase (3.20).
The expected testing conditions at the northern track should favor Houston Texas (Nicky Richards), a three-time Carlisle winner who finished down the field in the Eider Chase last time out.
Stamina should also not be an issue for Lucinda Russell’s Camp Belan , who demonstrated tremendous ability to win over three miles and two furlongs at Kelso but experienced an early fall in the Hexham Marathon two weeks ago.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings