Steve Ryder Thursday Racing Tips

The Donald McCain trained CHTI BALKO (best priced at 4-1) has a fantastic record at Haydock on ground soft or heavy and he should once again prove hard to beat under those conditions. He has form figures of 14123212 in that case and was unlucky to bumper into an extremely well handicapped horse last time.

Chti Balko finished 2nd behind the Venetia Williams trained Green Brook earlier this month and that rival has since won again easily and is now rated 8lbs higher. Chti Balko has been raised 2lb up to a mark of 131 for this race but he still looks well handicapped as he won here last season by 26 lengths off a mark of 135. The favourite Celebre Allen will no doubt be popular in the market but the bounce factor is a worry with him following his reappearance win after 783 days off the track and preference instead goes to Chti Balko with up to four places on offer.

I am surprised to see the Phil McBride trained ROCKESBURY (best priced at 11-1) such a big price for this race given that he runs here 3lb “well in” and I think he holds strong claims. The six-year-old was a previous course and distance winner back in 2018 off a mark of 56 and he bounced back to form last time with a 2nd placed effort over 6f here off a mark of 47.

The form of that run is working out well with the winner Patontheback following up at Southwell yesterday under a 5lb penalty. He is unsurprisingly not running in this despite being declared and Rockesbury actually gets to run here off a 1lb lower mark than when they met 8 days ago. That run was his first in an eye hood and blinker combination so if that does the trick again then he should run well again with up to four places available.