Horse racing tips: Wednesday, July 2
NAP:
Alzahir (7.23, Epsom) 1pt win @ 4/5 with William Hill ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Other:
Dandy Style (2.03 Thirsk) 1pt win @ 2/1 with William Hill ⭐⭐⭐
Odds provided by William Hill and correct at the time of writing. Stars denote strength of selection (max 5).
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7.23 Epsom – Class 3 Handicap (6f)
Jennie Candlish saddled four winners from seven runners to end the month of June, one of which was the impressive ALZAHIR (NAP) at Chester on Saturday.
A half-brother to the multiple Group-race winner Suedois, Alzahir was once rated as high as 100 when trained by John and Thady Gosden. It's fair to say that he's now back on an upward trajectory after losing his way for a while, readily scoring off a mark of 90 on the Roodee.
The five-year-old gelding is quickly turned out again under a 5lb penalty, which is completely negated by Warren Fentiman's handy claim. Running off the same rating here, with the handicapper sure to give him a hike in the weights, the son of Sea The Stars looks to have a good bit in hand on his rivals.
2.03 Thirsk – Class 5 Restricted Novice Stakes (6f)
Kevin Ryan's Tropical Dreamer is more than likely to attract plenty of attention at the head of the market, but he could have his work cut out under a 7lb penalty against DANDY STYLE.
Both horses are going up to 6f from the minimum 5f, but the selection should be much more street-wise following his debut effort at Carlisle. The form of that race could hardly be working out any better, as the three runners who beat Dandy Style home have all won since.
The forecast faster ground in North Yorkshire should also be in favour of Bryan Smart's colt, given his sire Dandy Man was successful on it several times throughout his career.
Paul Mulrennan takes the ride, which is a big positive in itself. Only two jockeys have won more races at Thirsk in the past five years than Mulrennan, with his mounts also showing a profit of +45.41 to a £1 stake during that time.
It all looks set up for a big run from Dandy Style, who could have a bright future ahead of him.
Selection: Dandy Style 1pt win @ 2/1 with William Hill
Today's UK and Irish racing
(Flat unless stated)
Thirsk 2.03-5.48
Worcester (NH) 2.15-5.25
Tipperary 5.05-8.20
Chepstow 5.30-8.45
Epsom 6.20-9.00
What does NAP mean?
NAP is a word used in betting circles to describe a prediction that a tipster thinks has a particularly strong chance of winning.
Many horse racing tipsters pick out a 'NAP of the day', which is their favoured selection from all the races across the different meetings.
The term NAP derives from the French card game Napoleon. When players of this game thought they had a particularly strong hand that they would win with, they would shout 'Napoleon'.
What is an each-way bet?
An each-way bet is a popular type of wager, particularly with horse racing fans. It is essentially two bets, both of which have the same size stake.
An each-way bet features one bet on the selection to win and the other bet on the selection to place.
So a £10 each-way bet will cost you a total of £20. There will be one £10 bet on the selection to win and another £10 on the selection to place.
It's a popular bet because it offers punters the chance of a return, even if the horse in question fails to win. Bookmakers will pay out at a stated percentage of the odds for a place finish, for example one-fifth of the starting price (SP) for finishing in the first three.
The more runners there are in a horse race, the more places will be on offer. In races that feature lots of runners, the horses will be available at bigger odds, making an each-way bet a wise choice.
Star ratings explained
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - confident selection
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - strong fancy
⭐⭐⭐ - fair claims
⭐⭐ - tentative choice
⭐ - minimum confidence
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