Thursday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

The favourite Barden Bella is respected but doesn’t look a guaranteed stayer over this 3m2f trip so preference instead goes to last year’s runner up MADERA MIST (best priced at 11-4). The Tim Vaughan trained eight-year-old finished 2nd behind Win My Wings in this race last season and that form looks fantastic in hindsight with that rival now rated 31lbs higher following her victories in the Eider Chase and Scottish National.

Madera Mist is actually rated 2lbs lower than in this race last season so she looks well handicapped and will have benefitted from her comeback run at Exeter last month. This will have been a long term target for her and she can hopefully go one better than last year.

Joe Parr sends GALILEO GLASS (best priced at 15-8) up north following a near miss at Windsor last week and he should prove hard to beat off the same mark. The three-year-old won twice in 2021 at Doncaster and Thirsk before running well on his two starts so far this season. He finished 4th on his reappearance at Wolverhampton before finishing only a short head behind Thunder Queen at Windsor last time.

Galileo Glass has shown good form on all sorts of ground so far in his career so drying ground wouldn’t be a concern and I feel he should prove hard to beat if in the same form as last week.

Course and distance winner MULLENBEG (best priced at 6-4) has to concede weight to the rest of the field in this contest but I do feel she will prove hard to beat back at this course and good ground. The Milton Harris trained mare won at Ludlow on her debut under rules by 6 ½ lengths before winning a listed Mares’ bumper over this course and distance in January by 5 ½ lengths on good ground.

Mullenbeg was sent off favourite for the listed Mares’ bumper at Sandown on her next start but she just appeared to struggle late on in the soft ground so this return to better ground will suit her well. This is a less competitive race this time and I expect her to prove hard to beat before returning next season as a one of the leading UK mares’ novice hurdlers.