3.00pm Chelmsford Tips & Betting Preview 26/10/2016

The feature race on Wednesday’s Chelmsford card is a 1m2f handicap worth £45,000. Read our horse-by-horse race preview for our experts’ betting tips.

IN SUMMARY: This looks very competitive and more so now after Very Talented was withdrawn this morning. It could pay to stick with Godolphin’s other runner, Lusory, has run with credit on all three of his starts and now rates the best bet in this field. Raising Sand ran poorly here on his debut and has raced exclusively on turf since then, but has done very well since joining Jamie Osborne in the summer and is respected. Banditry went close off today’s mark in a 20-runner contest at Doncaster on Saturday but was suited by the strong gallop there and this race may not pan out in the same way.

1 Very Talented (non runner) – Yet to race over this far and untested on the AW but is a low-mileage 3yo who comes here after an excellent third in the Cambridgeshire at Newmarket (1m1f, good to firm) last month; could be very hard to beat off just 1lb higher here if the surface suits.

2 Raising Sand – 3-4 since joining Jamie Osborne in summer, the latest success gained at Haydock (1m, good) 12 days ago; subsequent 2lb rise doesn’t look excessive and he could have untapped potential over today’s trip, but disappointed (albeit on debut) over C&D on sole previous AW run.

3 Haalan – Scored over C&D in April, his only AW run to date, and was also successful on turf at Nottingham (1m2f, good to firm) in August; current mark demands a new career-best performance but there’s every chance she’ll make her presence felt.

4 Brigliadoro – Shaped as though worth a crack at today’s trip when very respectable sixth in the Silver Cambridgeshire at Newmarket (1m1f, good to firm) last month and subsequently went close in a 1m classified at Ascot; runs off his higher AW mark today, though, and others look better treated.

5 Pactolus – Gained hard-fought C&D win in March and returns here after two decent efforts over 1m1f on turf at Goodwood in summer; likely to prove vulnerable off current mark in this class of race, though.

6 Lusory – Godolphin-owned 3yo who made winning debut at Haydock (1m, good to soft) in May and has been placed in both subsequent handicaps, more recently when clear third at Doncaster (1m2f, good) last month; hit with 4lb rise for that but could have more to offer if added cheekpieces help.

7 Montsarrat – Well handicapped if able to replicate form shown when third in soft-ground Listed event at Hamilton (1m3f) in July but has looked out of sorts since then; suffered heavy defeat at Pontefract when last in action and it takes a big leap of faith to support him at present.

8 Abareeq – Soundly beaten when fitted with cheekpieces (now removed) for the London Mile at Kempton last month and remains 4lb higher than when winning there in June; yet to convince stamina-wise over 1m2f and others have more pressing claims.

9 Beardwood – Unraced on the AW but produced a good performance to win a Class 3 handicap at Windsor (1m2f, good to firm) this month and also ran well when sixth in a huge field at Doncaster (1m2f, good) on Saturday; in the mix again if suited by the surface.

10 Banditry – Ahead of Beardwood when coming from off the pace for close second in 20-runner contest at Doncaster (1m2f, good) on Saturday; not guaranteed a strong pace to chase here but still needs to be taken seriously off the same mark on AW debut.

11 Mithqaal – Displayed significant jolt of improvement when clearcut winner of the Silver Cambridgeshire at Newmarket (1m1f, good to firm) on last month’s stable debut; only fifth off today’s 10lb higher mark when dropped back to 1m at York 18 days ago but still enters calculations.

myracing Forecast Prices: 3/1 Very Talented, 4/1 Lusory, 9/2 Raising Sand, 6/1 Banditry, 8/1 Brigliadoro, 12/1 Haalan, Beardwood, Mithqaal, 16/1 Pactolus, 20/1 Montsarrat, Abareeq