It's been a good week for the Punting Pointers team and today Rory Delargy has a couple of recommended bets to consider.
Racing betting tips: Thursday March 6
1pt win Cowper Hall in 4.00 Thurles at 7/2 (General) – min 3/1
1pt win Muhib in 5.30 Newcastle at 8/1 (General) – take no lower
4:00 Thurles
Thurles provides a sharp test at the minimum trip and with the ground always quicker there than other Irish jumps venues, this modest handicap will be a real test of speed, with Prince Quattro ticking all the right boxes and Philip Rothwell’s front runner is sure to make a bold fist of things as he aims for a third win of the season.
He’s effectively 10lb higher than for winning narrowly at Down Royal last time, though, and his price looks no more than fair at this stage.
One who appeals as a likely improver – especially for the move to Gavin Cromwell – is COWPER HALL who surpassed his qualifying form when a creditable third to St Denis’s Well at Down Royal on St Stephen’s Day when making his handicap bow, and also his final start for Liam Lennon. Cowper Hall’s improvement was signalled in the market with the son of Affinisea attracting money at the Maze track and he’s sure to improve further on that evidence, with Cromwell having a well-established knack with those he picks up from other yards.
He can race of 88 here having been left alone by the assessor and I feel that mark will prove lenient.
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5:35 Thurles
Frankie John came in for a moderate ride when a promising fourth to Copacabana on his bumper debut at Navan, where he was allowed to drift back in the field despite travelling well and was poorly positioned when the slow early gallop unwound in the final two furlongs.
He made eye-catching late headway behind a horse who is a strong fancy in the Champion Bumper next week, and the booking of top point/bumper pilot Barry O’Neill suggests that connections feel losses from that defeat (well backed) are only lent.
5:30 Newcastle
In the main, this lot are pretty well exposed and we know what they are and aren’t capable of, but that isn’t the case with MUHIB, who has only had the one handicap start, and wouldn’t need to improve an awful lot to get involved here.
He was beaten a shade under three lengths at Chelmsford last time, not getting the best of runs when he needed one and his pilot, Luke Catton, wasn’t hard on him once his chance had gone. That wasn’t the first time he’d shown something either, having finished third in a C&D novice event back in October, getting amongst some Newmarket yards and clocking a very solid speed figure in the process.
The dam was a half-sister to the useful French Group performer Tres Blue, and he’s certainly bred to be better than a mark of 60. The booking of Hollie Doyle catches the eye here, and if he can progress again, he can take a hand in the finish.
8:00 Newcastle
Diddy Man has had a few trainers already and Thomas Faulkner, his current handler is his fourth, but perhaps this particular change of yard has had a positive effect on him. He was going nowhere quickly for Michael Attwater, barely beating a horse home in three starts for that yard last autumn, but he attracted a bit of support on his first start for Faulkner last month and ran better, finishing a four-length fourth and doing some decent late work over 7f.
This step up to a mile should suit, and he’s now fallen below his last winning all-weather mark when with Harriet Bethell (told you he’d been around a bit).
Assuming he comes on a bit for that latest start, which was his first for four months, he has every chance in a winnable race.
Published at 0932 GMT on 06/03/25
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