Horse Racing Tips: In-form Edmunds to strike at Doncaster

A total of four meetings take place across the UK and Ireland on Friday, with action coming from Cheltenham, Doncaster, Dundalk and Southwell, as the Cotswolds track hosts Day One of their Christmas Festival.

Among our fancies is one for Stuart Edmunds at Town Moor, with his trainer having been in form over the last few weeks.

12:15 Doncaster - Silver Thorn @ 6/1

Only seven runners line up for this three-mile handicap chase and, while the market may gravitate towards the more obvious improvers in the field, SILVER THORN looks a touch underestimated and is worth a second look now stepping back into calmer waters.

His reappearance at Lingfield can be safely ignored after a long absence as he never travelled with his usual fluency and clearly needed the outing.

More importantly, his novice hurdle form reads better than most of these, finishing in the frame on several occasions behind decent types and producing a notably solid effort at Market Rasen when chasing home Belliano.

That run showcased both stamina and attitude, and he shaped as though a proper staying trip would ultimately bring out improvement.

Returning to three miles with race fitness on the rise and Harry Cobden taking over is a significant plus. If the Lingfield run has blown away the cobwebs, he can step forward and outrun his price.

13:25 Doncaster - Kelijoe @ 10/3

Only moderate form figures line the page for KELIJOE, but this lightly raced five-year-old may be capable of stepping forward now that Stuart Edmunds has had time to work with him.

His Huntingdon run last month did not go to plan, yet that was his second start in a handicap and he shaped better than the bare result, travelling well for a long way before the race slipped from his grasp.

The Edmunds yard is operating at a very healthy strike-rate and, with Charlie Hammond also riding with confidence, there is every chance Kelijoe can take a sizeable step forward.

If the switch to a more galloping track helps him settle and find a rhythm, he may prove a danger to more exposed types and looks worth chancing to show improvement off a workable mark.

14:33 Doncaster - For Gina @ 3/1

FOR GINA may arrive here with a largely exposed profile, but she has quietly dropped down the handicap last season and this looks a very winnable race for a mare who stays well and responds generously for pressure.

Her latest success at Fontwell was far from flashy, yet it was exactly what you want to see from a seasoned staying mare first run back from a break, travelling sweetly, jumping economically and finding more when it mattered.

That performance suggested she is back in the kind of rhythm that saw her run consistently well a few seasons ago

This step up to Doncaster's galloping three-miles should play to her strengths, as she is a grinder who keeps finding when others have been unable to.

Lucy Wadham’s team have been operating at a healthy strike-rate recently and Tom Cannon knows her inside out, often timing his challenge perfectly.

With several rivals still needing to prove their stamina, For Gina shapes as the dependable option and may well outstay them when the race begins to stretch the field.

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