Epsom Downs Tips: Naasma can bag the Ladies’ Derby

Amongst the seven scheduled meetings across Britain and Ireland on Thursday will be an evening offering from Epsom. It's a six-race card from 17:55 to 20:40 at Epsom, with conditions forecast to be Good, good to soft in places and the feature race is the Betfred Ladies' Derby Handicap at 19:35.

Among my Epson Downs tips is a mare in Naasma that has a promising Epsom record going into the feature race.

Today's Horse Racing Odds

18:30 - Blenheim Star @ 2/1

BLENHEIM STAR has won twice at Brighton this summer over a mile and those efforts certainly bode well for the filly as she prepares for a first Epsom experience.

The downhill run into the home straight on a left-handed course before a more challenging run for home appears tailor-made for this daughter of Churchill.

Her only turf start last season came in an £81k Newmarket Sales contest and she is 3-4 on grass this term.

A smooth win at Ripon (1m, soft) in late May was followed by her opening Brighton success on much faster ground just a few days later as she showcased versatility in terms of conditions.

She didn't fire next time at Bath but has since rebounded with a wide-margin seaside win back at Brighton, sweeping through from the rear to score in style.

She is 7lb higher now, but William Knight's filly looks one to stay on the right side of and, with this course likely to suit, she can overcome in-form rivals Uncle Dick and Hello Cotai to score again.

19:35 - Naasma @ 7/2

The feature on the evening card is the Betfred Ladies' Derby Handicap over the classic trip of a mile-and-a-half on the famous Downs.

The likes of Sisterandbrother for trainer Kevin Frost and in-form Gordon Grey for Ben Brookhouse are likely sorts but it's hard to ignore the credentials of NAASMA for the Pat Phelan yard.

The mare has posted figures of 323 here, with two of those runs coming over this distance. She was second here last summer off a mark of 64 and then didn't quite match that when appearing here in August in a first-time visor.

That was her final start of 2023 and the visor hasn't been spotted in three runs this season. A winning comeback at Windsor in April has been followed with excellent efforts in defeat at the same venue and Newbury in between times in a contest that has worked out well.

Forcing the pace last time was perhaps less than ideal and she's been eased 1lb since by the assessor, while Becky Smith is a good ally in the context of this female amateur jockeys’ contest.

20:05 - Miss Information @ 6/4

The penultimate race on the card is the Betfred 'Bet Builder' Handicap over 7f and in-form Oisin Murphy is fancied to put his name on the scoresheet with MISS INFORMATION for trainer Andrew Balding.

The Blue Point filly was an Ascot novice winner over 6f last year and had shaped well at times in three starts this term before scoring at Chepstow (7f, good to soft) last week.

That was a convincing win in the end and with it having come in an apprentice race, she can turn out here from an unchanged mark of 76, before being re-assessed 8lb higher in the future.

She takes on older horses now but is maturing all the time and the booking of the former champion jockey - who was on board for that win at Ascot in the autumn - is another plus factor.

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