3.00pm Brighton Tips & Betting Preview 22/08/2017

An interesting handicap over a little shy of a mile and a half on the undulating Brighton track with Good to Soft going expected at the time of writing. Read on for our full race preview and selection ahead of the 3.00pm at Brighton this afternoon.

IN SUMMARY: Not the easiest race to call, but Gary Moore has his string in fine fettle and, with Hector Crouch on board, it looks likely that RIANNA STAR is the stable number one. If he can build on his recent second back on the turf then he can come home in front this afternoon for a yard who love nothing more than a winner or two at this track.

1 OVERHAUGH STREET – Steps up in trip here for trainer Ed De Giles who has had four winners from his last 22 runners for an 18% strike rate but, better still for his followers, a level stakes profit of 35 points. The four-year-old gelding finally won his first race on his 14th start here over 1 1/4 miles, staying on strongly under Silvestre de Sousa to beat Nouvelle Ere by 1 1/4 lengths. On breeding the trip does look in question, however if he does stay he has every chance with his course experience an advantage.

2 HALLINGHAM – One win and three places from just the four starts this season for trainer Ken Cunningham-Brown after leaving the Chris Gordon stable in mid-March. The trip seems unlikely to be an issue, but all of his best runs have come on rattling fast ground, including his June win at Bath off 2lbs lower. As always he’s likely to try his best, however he may struggle with this much cut on the turf, although he could just surprise us all.

3 NOUVELLE ERE – Runs off a rating of 57 this afternoon and has won off a fraction higher. Nevertheless, he was a pretty poor last of seven at Bath on Good to Soft (like today) three days ago and arrives here with plenty to prove. The race before he finished 1 1/4 lengths behind Overhaugh Street who he meets on 3lbs better terms and, based on that form line, he does look hard to make a case for this afternoon.

4 SEVILLA – The addition of first-time blinkers by trainer Olly Murphy look interesting, but they will need to bring about some significant improvement after she finished a disappointing eight of 11 in a selling handicap at Beverley last time out. Beaten over 17 lengths that day, she had no obvious excuses. As she is yet to win a race after 16 starts and her best efforts are over shorter, this looks likely to prove beyond her for a stable with zero winners from five runners in the last fortnight.

5 GUNNER MOYNE – His best recent form has been on the All Weather tracks, with a win at Southwell in April and a third to Gold Merlion in a selling handicap at Lingfield last time out, finishing 3 3/4 lengths adrift of the winner. Trainer Gary Moore likes to have a winner here as his main training centre was just down the road. However, with Fergus Sweeney booked it looks as though the five-year-old may well be his second string unless the betting suggests otherwise come the off.

6 RIANNA STAR – The second Gary Moore runner, this time with Hector Crouch booked to ride and claiming his 3lbs off the filly’s back. Last time out she ran well to finish a length and a half second to Wolfcatcherjack at Kempton on the All Weather, despite being sent off at odds of 20/1 over the mile and a half. He looks to have a decent enough chance if he can improve again and reproduce that effort on the turf for only the second time.

7 KILIM – Trained in Newmarket by John Berry, the daughter of Dansili is yet to win or even place after 15 starts and would be a surprise winner this afternoon. Last time out she was beaten 24 lengths over this sort of trip at Chepstow off a rating 3lbs higher. However, she is still impossible to suggest and needs to show some kind of form before she could ever be a selection, regardless of the race.