Thursday March 4th

One of those days that we have a number of betting opportunities, and four bets.

In the 1m4f handicap at Southwell, Reverend Green makes plenty of appeal for the Kevin Ryan stable, stepping up in trip off a mark of 78. He won a bumper a this course before dropping right back down to a mile last time out for his flat debut, winning well in the end over a trip plenty sharp enough for him. He really took to this surface and struck me as a horse who will be rated 80+ in time. He has been allotted a fair mark of 78 and the excellent Amy Ryan takes off a further 5lb. Opposition is thin on the ground bar the favourite Spruce. Spruce has been busy racking up a sequence of wins but his win here came in a two runner race against a very moderate sort and it is anyone's guess how well he truly handles the surface. Reverend Green looks great value on that score and I would not be surprised to see him supported, 11/4 is great value.

Miss Christophene almost did us a 20/1 favour last time out and she is a shade too big at 2/1 this time. This is a fairly average race and she is a proven course and distance horse whose stable have been in excellent form. 13/8 is my idea of the price so she is worth a bet.

Bombay Mist is a huge price this morning for the 5f maiden but his trainer has an excellent record at this track, including in 5f maidens, and jockey Francis Norton has an 18% strike rate for the stable returning an incredible level stakes profit of +165. The selection simply glided of this surface in the early stages of his run last time out before fading late on as if something was amiss, a view supported by the fact that he has been given 113 days off since. In a poor race he is a speculative selection for a stable who have been in and out of form (currently out!) this winter, but at the odds he is definitely worth a bet.

At Wolves tonight, Leo's Lucky Angel is well worth each-way support. She was heavily backed on her return from a long absence last time out but failed to land the money. She travelled noticeably well initially, before blowing up on the home turn and staying on again near the finish. The booking of Ireland's best apprentice Gary Carroll, who takes off 3lb, really caught the eye and if three weeks off and a few more good pieces of work have blown away the cobwebs, she can land the spoils at a double figure price.

Best Recommendation:

3.40 Southwell Bombay Mist, 1pt e/w @ 33/1 (Generally, get guaranteed)

4.10 Southwell Reverend Green 5ps win @ 11/4 (Stan James, guaranteed)

4.40 Southwell Miss Christophene 5pts win @ 9/4 (Paddy Power, Bet 365, guaranteed)

8.10 Wolves Leo's Lucky Angel, 2pts e/w @ 12/1 (Stan James, William Hill, guaranteed)