Get all of your Thursday UK racing tips for the meetings at Southwell, Carlisle, Newcastle, Thurles and Wincanton on 9 March 2023.
SOUTHWELL
Race 3: TOO MUCH 7/1
TOO MUCH can open her account at the fourth attempt in the fourth at Southwell today. Only six go to post for the mile event but it is difficult to rule any of them out with any confidence. James Horton’s Too Much, though, was very unfortunate to bump into two above-average Godolphin recruits last time out. After two promising runs over seven furlongs, Horton upped her to an extended nine furlongs at Wolverhampton and she looked to hold strong claims turning in. Unfortunately for her backers, Sapphire Seas and Mountain Song proved too strong close home. It is no surprise at all to see Horton bring her back to down to a mile and while she meets rivals with recent winning form to their names, her effort in defeat may well prove to be the best bit of form on offer.
Race4: ROSE BOLT 11/4
Joanna Mason and William Haggas will be hoping they can maintain their 100 per cent strike rate together when ROSE BOLT runs in this restricted maiden stakes. Admittedly it is a small sample size, with Mason having only one ride to date for the master of Somerville Lodge, but he must have seen something he liked. Mason’s star continues to rise and she has made giant strides in the past two seasons since deciding to go professional and having come close to breaking the 50-winner barrier for the past two years, that must be at the forefront of her thinking for 2023. Rose Bolt showed plenty of promise on debut when second of 11 to an Andrew Balding hotpot at Lingfield last month. That was over a mile and while she did all her best work late on, it was probably a case of the penny just dropping rather than her needing further. From stall one, Mason will be keen to be handy on this occasion.
WINCANTON
Race 4: IMPACT DU BONHEUR 8/15
Paul Nicholls is entering the crucial stage of the season with his horses in great form and another winner is on the cards through IIMPACT DU BONHEUR in this maiden hurdle at Wincanton. A French bumper winner, Nicholls has spoken highly of him recently.
NEWCASTLE
Race 3: TEQUILAMOCKINGBIRD 11/4
TEQUILAMOCKINGBIRD holds strong claims of getting back to winning ways in the third at Newcastle. She has been running admirably since winning at Lingfield in November. Time may well show she faced two very stiff tasks against Simon and Ed Crisford’s classy filly Al Agaila, in both the Winter Oaks Trial and the Oaks itself at Lingfield. She then caught a bit of a tartar when bumping into Hugo Palmer’s Nolton Cross, who went close off 7lb higher on his next outing. This is another decent race but Charlie Fellowes’ filly has been running right up to her mark of late.
Race 4: QUICK CHANGE 6/1
If Karl Burke’s QUICK CHANGE is fit enough first time out after 264 days off, then she will surely take all the beating in this handicap. She was last seen winning at Haydock in June and while it was only a narrow success over Haggas’ Amanzoe, the runner-up was competing off a mark of 72. Since then Amanzoe has won three and been second in a £100,000 contest at York. Quick Change gets to run here off just 6lb higher than Haydock, so looks well treated on that score.
