3 minute read

We’re back with three selections from a busy day of racing in the UK and Ireland, including a tip in the Group 3 Meld Stakes at Leopardstown…

In the Group 3 Meld Stakes (7:25) at Leopardstown, Jessica Harrington's Bold Discovery makes plenty of appeal at 5/2 against a very short-priced favourite in Trustyourinstinct. Bold Discovery is more experienced than the rest of the field and has been competing against some good-quality horses throughout his career including when beating Aidan O'Brien's Listed winner Peking Opera on debut. 

He scoped badly before the Listed Tetrarch Stakes when fifth of sixth and it was noted in a subsequent steward's report that the colt had probably taken longer to recover from the treatment than initially anticipated. The Bolt D'Oro colt looked a different horse when returning to Listed company for the Celebration Stakes, finishing strongly to win by half-a-length ahead of the useful Tarawa. He's probably got some of the best form in the field if you put a line through the two runs prior to the Celebration Stakes win and experience may assist against the twice-raced Trustyourinstinct.

SELECTION – BOLD DISCOVERY (5/2)

Alshadhian is our second selection in the 1m2f Class 5 William Hill Lengthen Your Odds EBF Novice Stakes (3:10) at Leicester. The Awtaad colt showed some promise on debut at Nottingham, finishing fourth and well-beaten behind the Derby runner-up and King Edward VII Stakes winner King Of Steel. The form has worked out well for the race with the second-placed Nader King winning on seasonal reappearance and the third-placed In The Trenches finishing runner-up on his sole subsequent start.

Alshadhian raced prominently before becoming out-paced in the closing stages, suggesting that the step up in trip will be a positive on his ten-furlong and seasonal debut.

SELECTION – ALSHADHIAN (9/2)

We stay at Leicester for the 6f Class 6 William Hill Epic Boost Classified Stakes (3:45), which appears to be a competitive affair with plenty of chances. Merry Secret looks capable of a big performance with Oisin Murphy jocked up, who is operating at a 25% strike rate from the last fourteen days (2-8). The five-year-old gelding was a good third over seven-and-a-half furlongs at Beverley last start but he's equally capable dropped back to six and has won at the track. He operates best when produced late on so expect to see Oisin Murphy attempting to steal the race in the dying strides. 

SELECTION – MERRY SECRET (4/1)