Horse Racing Tips: Nap of the Day

MY TURN NOW could be able to live up to her name in the 7.40 at Windsor.

She showed some promising signs in her maiden and novice outings before improving again to post a one-length fourth of nine on handicap debut at Leicester.

Campaigned solely over six furlongs to this point, she very much shaped like a drop back to the minimum trip would help last time out, showing good speed and doing best of those who raced to the fore, while this track could play to her strengths too.

The assessor has eased her a pound from an opening 68 to a mark of 67 and her shrewd handler has found a decent little opening here.

MENG TIAN has obviously become tricky to win with these days and obviously hasn’t got his head in front since his three-year-old debut last spring, but he’s become very well handicapped as a result and anything like his best form would probably suffice now eased to 0-65 company for the first time in his life.

He shaped like he was beginning to find his level again when a close fourth over this course and distance two starts ago and I’m happy to draw a line through the last run when switched back to turf and upped to 10 furlongs for the first time at Yarmouth.

He’ll be happier back on this surface and trainer Sean Woods makes a headgear switch too, applying a hood and cheekpieces for the first time (has worn blinkers once in the past when running quite well).

Stall two is a bonus and the booking of top apprentice Harry Davies helps ease another 3lb off the horse’s back.

The first-time cheekpieces nearly did the trick for MIDNIGHT GOLD at Fontwell last month, the Fame And Glory mare going down by just a neck to Pure Theatre having travelled with menace on the good ground.

She’s open to plenty of further improvement after just the eight hurdle starts and Cobden keeps the ride which looks fairly significant.

The slightly shorter trip certainly won’t pose any problems and it would be a surprise at all to see Neil Mulholland’s representative shrug off a 3lb rise in the ratings with conditions to suit again.

CAESARS PEARL – 8.30 Pontefract

It’s worth waiting until the penultimate race for a bet at Pontefract where CAESARS PEARL looks to be coming to the boil since switching back to the turf.

Second over five furlongs here towards the end of May, she backed that up with an even better effort upped to this trip at Ripon recently, only finding the progressive Another Baar too good despite initially challenging well away from the rail.

She’s been nudged another 1lb higher but there’s surely more to come, a quick surface clearly suits and I’m never overly considered about a wider draw on the sprint course around here.

June winners

• Toca Madera 5/4
• Never Ending 13/8
• Glenister 2/5
• Easkey Lad 9/4
• Funny Story 3/1
• Sophia’s Starlight 9/4 (NAP)
• Secret Moment 10/3 (NAP)
• Havana Party 7/2
• Menelaus 2/1
• War Chant 13/8 (NAP)

Safer gambling

We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.

Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.