7.30pm Chelmsford Tips & Betting Preview 02/02/2017

The most valuable race of the night at Chelmsford racecourse, worth £7,763 and a total of ten runners go to post for this 0-85 handicap over one mile and six furlongs. Read on for our runner by runner guide, extensive analysis and free tip for the stayers’ contest.

IN SUMMARY: A case can be made for every runner in the field so it is clearly a ferociously competitive handicap. El Campeon could be the horse with the most potential but a chance is taken on the outsider THE TWISLER (20/1) who is dangerously well treated now after a long spell in the doldrums. Winless since 2015, he ran his best race for a very long time at Lingfield two starts back, better than the bare result and he must be a danger to all off an even lower mark.

1 LUV U WHATEVER – Great servant to the Michael Attwater team, notching up nine victories from his forty-two starts on the flat in his career to date. The seven year old ran a solid race in Class 3 company at Southwell over a mile and a half last time out off a two pound higher mark and now a mark of 84 means he can get into a 0-85 off top weight. Won here off a mark of 95 back in January so looks really well treated.

2 THE TWISLER – Terribly out of sorts since 2015 and hasn’t run a good race in fifteen attempts but there are reasons to be optimistic about his chances’ tonight. Still only a five year old, Roger Ingram’s Motivator gelding is now dangerously well treated off a mark of 81 and he was only beat a couple of lengths in similar company at Lingfield last month over a mile and a half, running on near the finish. The step up in trip will suit and if he can build on that effort from two starts back, he could surprise a few here.

3 MIDTECH STAR – Adam Kirby is an interesting jockey booking on this Ian Williams inmate, a yard that are bang in form currently. A winner over this trip at Wolverhampton back in March off just a one pound higher mark, this is a similar track and coming out of Stall 1, he will be able to get a nice early position by the rail. He has to improve on his latest efforts but his superb Wolverhampton record has to give him every chance around here on his first attempt.

4 EL CAMPEON – Simon Dow trained gelding who won over this course and distance in December and has since been placed twice over two miles at Lingfield and Kempton. He is now six pounds higher in the weights since his Chelmsford win but Hector Crouch takes off three so he could still be very nicely treated off a mark of 78. He was unfortunate to bump into a very well handicapped sort last time out.

5 TETRADRACHM – Lightly raced four year old gelding who is having his first run for the David Simcock stable tonight on his fifth start. He has an absence of 251 days to overcome so fitness will have to be taken on trust but this stable know how to ready one after a break. A winner of a Class 5 maiden at Lingfield last year, Simcock has a 22% strike-rate here since 2011 and a market watch is advised.

6 RIDE THE LIGHTNING – Battled hard in the hands of Luke Morris to win by a head at Wolverhampton over a mile and a half off of a mark of 81 last time out, all out. The handicapper hasn’t been too harsh, just put him up a pound and although this is his first crack at a mile and six furlongs, he looks a horse that will appreciate a step up in trip as he gallops all the way to the line over shorter.

7 PARIS MAGIC – Hugo Palmer has a level stakes profit of +£54.86 when he sends one runner to a meeting since 2011, superb statistic. A winner of his penultimate start at Newcastle over the extended mile and a half, the talented Josephine Gordon keeps the ride. He couldn’t land a blow at the same meeting last time out and has now been eased a pound by the handicapper. Solid chance in a wide open contest.

8 CAVALIERI – Thorough stayer who may find this trip on the sharp side tonight as all of his most recent wins have been over two miles or further. He will appreciate a frantic pace up front and looks sure to get it. The saddle will be light as he runs off a mark of 68, just 8-10 on his back and although he can’t be discounted, he’d be more interesting back over two miles.