Sunday’s racing at Musselburgh is very competitive. I have enjoyed the addition of these Sky Bet races on Sunday evenings, as they provide good betting heats and there is always value to be had. ITV have also decided to chuck in a few races from the Curragh, which adds to the cracking evening of racing.
3.45 Musselburgh – Whisky McGonagall (Each Way)
This is a difficult start to proceedings, but Whisky McGonagall was a hardy customer when he made all to win over 5f at Newcastle earlier this month. Though that win came on all-weather, he has won over this course and distance on good-to-soft ground, so coming here shouldn’t be an issue. He’s been given a draw in Stall 12, and if David Allan decides to employ the same tactics, he might just grab the stand’s side rail and be hard to pass. I can see him going close.
4.15 Musselburgh – Do It Now (Win)
Even though there aren’t many runners in the race, I don’t think this is a bad contest. I’m just going to side with Do It Now for Adrian Keatley, who shaped with a lot of promise when finishing second at Kempton on his racecourse debut earlier this month. He bumped into a horse that could go on to nice things this summer, and looking at his pedigree, I think he’ll be suited to the switch to the turf. With a nice draw in Stall 6, he might just be able to build on that experience.
4.45 Musselburgh – Alpine Sierra (Each Way)
Since the inception of these Sky Bet races on Sundays, Jim Goldie has often liked to target them, and he runs a strong team here. The pick of them looks to be Alpine Sierra, who is the choice of Paul Mulrennan. Though this is his seasonal reappearance, that doesn’t bother me, as he won fresh last year at Ayr off a 2lb lower mark. The six-year-old gelding finds himself with a good draw in Stall 2, and I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see him involved in the finish.
5.15 Musselburgh – Dark Jedi (Each Way)
Dark Jedi has really fallen down the weights over the past year, but last time out at Thirsk he showed a bit of spark to finish third, where the winner Clansman has franked the form at Ripon since. The son of Kodiac is well-known to Flat fans in the North, and though he’s not won at Musselburgh before, he’s run some really good races in his time at the track, which included a close second in the Queen’s Cup in 2022 off a much higher mark. For me, he’s become too well handicapped to ignore, and this might just be his day to bounce back.
5.45 Musselburgh – Ice Max (Win)
Despite having to carry topweight Ice Max, he might just be a Group horse in a handicap. The way he won last time out at Bath was very impressive, and he looked like he had loads left in the locker. The three-year-old gelding is now 8lb higher, but he’ll have a fitness edge over several of the opposition, and he gave weight away last time to some smart rivals. With a draw from Stall 7, I can see Clifford Lee just holding at the back and smuggling him into the race. If they go hard early, it could set up very nicely for him.
6.15 Musselburgh – Lion Tower (Each Way)
Lion Tower hasn’t won for nearly two years, but his runs on the all-weather this winter at Newcastle and Southwell have hinted that he might be returning to form. If you back through his form in 2022, he was competing off much higher ratings, and he is now 8lb below his last winning mark. He won over this course and distance, and as long as the ground doesn’t have too much juice in it, the son of Exceed and Excel should be very competitive.
6.45 Musselburgh – Silky Wilkie (Each Way)
Silky Wilkie recorded his best effort for quite a while when finishing second in a hot race at Bath earlier this month. On his day, he is a very good sprinter and on the same mark as when he won the Scottish Sprint Cup over this course and distance last April. With a good draw in Stall 16 and Sam Feilden taking off a nice 7lbs, it makes him my strongest fancy on the card.
4.00 Curragh – Yosemite Valley (Win)
Though Yosemite Valley disappointed favourite-backers at Cork last time out, I actually think he ran a nice race to finish second. He might have just needed the run on occasion, and stepping back up to 7f looks positive. Some people might say he has work to do to reverse the form with Big Gossey from last year, but he hasn’t shown anything in his two starts to date, and I think the son of Shamardal will get the better of his old rival here. Henry Adams is an interesting runner for Aidan O’Brien, but he needs to bounce back after a bad run in Dubai.
4.30 Curragh – Mickey The Steel (Each Way)
Mickey The Steel can be forgiven for his latest run when he was well-beaten at Cork earlier this month. He was just drawn on the wrong side of the track that day, and he’ll be much happier returning to the Curragh this time around with a better draw. The six-year-old gelding has a good record at this venue, and he’s now 1lb lower than when he won here in the autumn last year. With connections turning to Robert Whearty to use his 5lb claim, it looks like a big run is expected.
5.00 Curragh – Gegenpressing (Each Way)
This race is a minefield, but Gegenpressing isn’t treated badly in his old form, and he is now 20lb lower than his last winning mark. The son of The Gurkha was last seen finishing a respectable sixth over this course and distance after blowing the start, but he made up good late headway to pass beaten horses. If he can break on terms, he might be able to step forward and outrun his odds each way at a nice double-figure price.
Bet Of The Day: 5.15 Musselburgh – Dark Jedi (Each Way)
Whatever you’re backing I hope you enjoy the racing and please remember to gamble responsibly!
