Wolverhampton best bet: Northbound heading in right direction for bold bid
Global Response ridden by PJ McDonald (left) on their way to winning the Betway Novice Stakes, at Wolverhampton Racecourse.
There’s not much winning form among the 11 runners for this seven-furlong sprint, suggesting that the penultimate race on Wolverhampton’s evening card could be a wide-open contest.
20:00 Wolverhampton: BetMGM: It’s Showtime Handicap (7 furlongs 36 yards)
The three market leaders all hold realistic claims, but hovering between 4/1 and 5/1 none of them inspire much betting confidence, although Blue Collar Lad looks the most interesting as he makes his stable debut for new trainer Alice Haynes.
With four each-way places up for grabs with most major bookmakers, Bear To Dream catches the eye at a nice price, after kicking off the new year with three frame finishes, and he looks nicely treated to feature again under William Carson.
However, our final nod goes in the direction of Northbound, who has enjoyed previous successes on both turf and synthetic tracks, and now appears to be hitting some decent form.
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He was last seen finishing a very decent third of 11 at Newcastle the weekend before last, and none of his rivals here are rated higher than any of those he faced in that higher-class 0-60 handicap.
Indeed it might have been even better for the six-year-old, had he not struggled to find room a furlong out, and even then he kept on strongly to come with three-quarters of a length of the 59-rated winner.
Trainer Peter Niven has saddled four winners from just 14 all-weather outings since the turn of the year, so he is clearly producing runners in top shape lately, and there’s no reason to suggest Northbound will not meet the same high standard here in the capable hands of Ryan Sexton.
Suggested best bet: Northbound in the 20:00 at Wolverhampton
