Thursday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

My Gift To You won easily on his stable debut on Tuesday but preference instead goes to NADIM (best priced at 7/4) who is 2/2 in cheekpieces. The Milton Harris trained four-year-old has run consistently well in handicap hurdles with form figures of 2211 with both recent wins coming since the application of headgear. He won at Stratford over 2m2½f in a conditional jockeys’ handicap hurdle by two lengths before following up a Market Rasen over 2 miles last time under a good ride from Bradley Harris.

Nadim stayed on well that day shaping like this step up in trip to 2m4f is what he needs and I expect him to prove hard to beat under a 7lb penalty.

The Brian Ellison trained NORTHERN SPIRIT (best priced at 11/2) won in first time cheekpieces on Friday and he should prove hard to beat under a 6lb penalty. The three-year-old has consistent form figures of 1321341 in handicaps and he put in a career best performance when winning at Nottingham by 3 ¼ lengths when fitted with first time cheekpieces on his first run on soft ground.

The handicapper has raised Northern Spirit 7lbs for that victory but he instead runs here under a 6lb penalty which means he runs here 1lb “well in” at the weights. He represents Yorkshire in the Racing League and hopefully can provide Ben Robinson with a winner.

The Charlie Fellowes trained SHAHBAZ (best priced at 4/1) ran well to finish 3rd at Ayr earlier this month and can hopefully get back to winning ways in a first time visor in this race. The three-year-old has form figures of 421363 in handicaps with his previous victory coming in first time cheekpieces in October off a mark of 82.

Shahbaz was only beaten 2 ½ lengths at Ayr last time off a mark of 87 and he runs here off the same mark. Hopefully the fitting of a first time visor sparks improvement out of him and he should run well with Frankie Dettori taking over for The East team.