Daryl Carter brings a trio of selections for Thursday, with a pair from Redcar and a single tip at Punchestown on Day 3 of their ongoing Festival. Take a look at his selections below, along with a superb offer from Paddy Power, giving new customers a fantastic £60 in free bets when you bet £10.
CRANE.- (3.50 Redcar, 1pt win – 10/3)
CRANE shaped with a good deal of promise on his final start at Lingfield when routing a field on handicap debut and this 8lb higher mark now switched to turf should not prove beyond him. There are negatives with backing him today, but he gave the firm impression that he would climb the handicap ranks as a three-year-old. Michael Bell has had his runners fit and ready to roll first time out this year so on the back of a gelding operation he is worth taking a chance on against mainly exposed rivals.
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ENA BAIE – (3.40 Punchestown, 1pt win – 15/2)
You will need plenty of luck in running in this contest but ENA BAIE is hard to ignore off the back of a career-best effort at Cork behind Sole Pretender on just her second start for this yard. She was given a very easy time of things by jockey Ricky Doyle on that occasion likely with this handicap target in mind. The three horses that finished in front of her on that occasion (she finished under hands and heels) are rated 150, 152 and 142 and she was only beaten 9 lengths in receipt of 2lbs, 12lbs and 7lbs and with the likes of Davids Charm (150) and Petit Mouchoir in behind, the form looks reliable. She now drops into a 88-123 handicap hurdle off a mark of 121 and Jordon Gainford claims a further 7lbs meaning if she was to repose those horses in a generic handicap next time under these conditions, she would be in receipt of 36lbs, 38lbs and 28lbs. She surely has more to come and her from figures on good ground read 44124 (all handicap runs in a hood) and the hood remains off.
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ENCOUNTER ORDER – (5.00 Redcar, 1pt win – 7/1)
There is an attitude question mark over ENCOUNTER ORDER given he has flashed his tail on three occasions when under pressure but he was steadily progressive in three starts as a two-year-old when given tough tasks over trips too short. The step-up in trip to 1m2f certainly looks in his favour on that evidence and his trainer took this race two years ago with another handicap debutant. The claim of Ray Dawson (3lbs) will only aid his cause and the form of his York debut run and his next two starts at Yarmouth and Nottingham make him look well treated off this opening handicap mark of 79. He is bred to be useful and to improve for middle-distance trips, so he looks one to keep on side.
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Daryl Carter’s Best Bets
CRANE.- (3.50 Redcar, 1pt win – 10/3)
ENA BAIE – (3.40 Punchestown, 1pt win – 15/2)
ENCOUNTER ORDER – (5.00 Redcar, 1pt win – 7/1)
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