Newcastle best bet: Ivory Madonna poised to make long trip worthwhile
Newcastle racecourse
Tipstrr racing pundit Steve Jones has cast his discerning eye for value over Thursday’s card, and believes his pick of the day can land at decent odds to make her long journey north worthwhile.
17:10 Newcastle: Best Racing Odds Guaranteed at BetMGM Handicap (1 mile)
Newmarket trainer Richard Spencer doesn’t send too many of his string up to Newcastle (only two runners all last year), so it looks significant that he sends his four-year-old filly, Ivory Madonna, on the 490-mile round trip as his only runner of the day.
The effort could well be worth it because this filly will be ideally suited to this combination of conditions, and it is a big plus that she is to be ridden by Jason Hart because it was Hart who rode her at Southwell last month when the partnership took an eye-catching third of 11 in an one -mile handica.
It was a highly competitive 0-75 contest which featured nine runners rated 72-75, compared to seven today, with Ivory Madonna running off 74 (a pound higher than today) and she missed the break from stall 8, which meant she was last of all from a very early stage.
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Still last of the 11 runners rounding the final bend and into the home straight, she had plenty on her plate to say the least, especially as she also had to be switched towards the near-side rail in order to secure a clear passage.
Despite all that, she passed all bar two of her rivals and came home stronger than anything and had she been able to secure a more forward position to begin with, she could have turned the race her way.
It was only the second time she had ever raced on this surface, the first being in a seven-furlong maiden as a two-year-old, when she finished a close-up runner-up of seven and again doing her best work in the closing stages.
The only one able to beat her that day was Balalaika, who is now rated 89, and given that the front pair raced on level terms and came home almost two lengths clear of the rest, Ivory Madonna clearly has an attractive mark of 73 under this set of conditions.
Suggested bet: Ivory Madonna in the 17:10 at Newcastle
- Tip advised by Steve Jones who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr
READ MORE: Newcastle racing tips: Best bets for Thursday January 4
