Horse Racing Tips: St Lukes ready to strike at Wincanton

Jumps racing holds sway across the UK and Ireland on Thursday afternoon before All-Weather action takes up the baton in the evening. There are good jumps cards at Ludlow and Wincanton in Britain and Fairyhouse in Ireland, while Chelmsford has a seven-race card starting at 17:30.

There has been plenty of rain this week and among our fancies is one for Robert Walford, whose charges often excel when underfoot conditions get testing. Read on for the Thursday Horse Racing tips with reasoning and the latest odds.

13:52 Wincanton - St Lukes Chelsea @ 17/2

With the ground already good to soft, soft in places at Wincanton, it looks wise to find something that should be able to handle conditions and Robert Walford’s five-year-old ST LUKES CHELSEA should fit the bill.

He hasn’t shone in his handicap career to date, but connections have clearly had trouble teaching him to settle, hence the enlistment of the hood for his last three outings.

In the first of those contests he again raced freely and prominently, but his last two races have seen progress with him settling in behind over today's course and distance in November before running a sound race on good ground last time at Taunton.

He was outpaced late on in both of those outings on good ground, so it is encouraging that he ran his best race over jumps when caught in the dying strides on soft ground at Fontwell just over a year ago.

A late mistake probably cost him the race that day but he can get off the mark this time.

14:17 Ludlow - Another Folly @ 10/3

Jane Williams has a decent chance with Le Soleil Reve at Wincanton so it looks notable that her go-to jockey Ciaran Gethings goes to Ludlow to ride ANOTHER FOLLY in this Class 5 handicap chase.

A decent pointer, the stable didn’t waste any time before switching this gelding to chasing last winter where despite plenty of good runs they couldn’t get his head in front.

He returned this season looking a better horse though when making all at Ludlow, beating an unexposed Fergal O’Brien favourite with a subsequent scorer back in third.

Last time out the same tactics were employed on soft ground at Warwick, and he was only beaten by Dan Skelton’s Chuggy, now rated 20lb higher, despite being pestered for the lead.

Either of those runs entitles him to respect in this ordinary field, and if a wind-op undertaken since that November run has any positive effect he can get back on the scoresheet.

15:02 Wincanton - Turndlightsdownlow @ 7/2

Martin Keighley doesn’t send many to Wincanton - only 10 runners in the last five years - but three of those have won and TURNDLIGHTSDOWNLOW has every chance of enhancing that statistic.

There are a few top stables represented at this meeting, but no horse is in better form than this six-year-old who has won two of his last three before just getting outstayed behind the useful Kikijo last time.

That came in a Class 2 contest at Sandown on soft ground where he finished as strongly as the winner despite never quite getting to him, and which came under very different circumstances to his two wins in the autumn.

In those victories, he displayed a high cruising speed and a nice turn of foot at Kempton over 2m5f on good ground, and the versatility and grit he has shown in those three outings should stand him in good stead in what looks a perfect opportunity for him.

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