William Haggas is one of the finest trainers around and is based in Newmarket. He sends just one runner up to Musselburgh for the Scottish track’s meeting on Sunday. Musselburgh’s seven-race card will be shown live on ITV. It’s a 712-mile round trip from Newmarket to Musselburgh and back which is certainly a long one for the sake of one runner. Connections will be looking for some compensation and the form book suggests the unexposed runner has a smashing chance. Check out our free tips page for daily content across British and Irish racing.
Mystic Pearl is incredibly unexposed, having had just two starts in handicap company so far. She was beaten by less than a length in both and looks well capable of winning a race of this standard. Getting off the mark at the third time of asking, she was a narrow winner at Thirsk in September. The form of that win has since been boosted by the third who scored impressively on its next start.
Perhaps her best effort came in a very competitive nursery over 7f at Newmarket in October. Finishing third narrowly, she was just collared by two smart Charlie Appleby horses in the end. Haggas’ filly ran a blinder on seasonal debut at Southwell earlier this month. She kept on nicely to finish second and wasn’t beaten far at all. With the benefit of that run under her belt, she should be a tad sharper this time around and could prove hard to beat.
Musselburgh is certainly a long way to go for just one runner but her unexposed profile would indicate that there’s every chance it could be a successful trip.
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