Thursday Horse Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

TORTURED SOUL (best priced at 15/8) has won four of his five starts since joining the Tony Carroll stable and although that defeat came at this track, he had excuses that day. The four-year-old won on his stable debut at Southwell off a mark of 49 by a head before following up at Wolverhampton by 1 ¼ lengths off a mark of 51. He was beaten here on his next start but that was over 1m5f and he was short of room that day before winning at Southwell by a length off a mark of 55 last time. 

Tortured Soul won easily by two lengths under a super confident Rossa Ryan at Kempton last time off a mark of 59 and the handicapper has raised him 6lb for that. He instead runs here under a 5lb penalty so he is 1lb “well in” at the weights and he should complete the hat-trick under the talented Jack Doughty in this apprentice handicap. 

Last year’s winner WINDANCE (best priced at 11/4) should have won at Plumpton ten days ago and he can make amends from 5lbs “well in” at the weights. The Anthony Honeyball trained nine-year-old won by 16 lengths at Fontwell in February last year before winning this race by ¾ length off a mark of 112 under Sam Twiston-Davies. 

Windance returned from 354 days off the track at Plumpton in an amateur jockeys’ race where he unseated his jockey at the last when eight lengths clear. That was off a mark of 115 and the handicapper has raised him 5lbs to a mark of 120 but he instead runs here off his old mark. With Sam Twiston-Davies back on board, he should prove hard to beat. 

Blue Virtue is respected on his handicap debut for Roger Varian but preference instead goes to DARING LEGEND (best priced at 10/3) who was unlucky not to win on his stable debut last time. The three-year-old joined Mick Appleby from James Ferguson rated 71 and was well supported to make a winning first start for The Horse Watchers over 7f at Kempton. He attempted to make all that day but just weakened late on to finish 3rd by a neck. 

The handicapper has raised Daring Legend 2lbs for that run up to 73 but he instead runs here five days later off the same mark but more crucially now drops down to 6f. Unless Blue Virtue proves well ahead of his mark then Daring Legend should get off the mark in this race.