In terms of a punting card, Ffos Las offers little appeal with very small fields and plenty of short-priced favourites. That said, there is some interest to be had in the opening Ascona Winning Handicap and the eye is drawn to I'm Too Tired at 5.50.
The lightly-raced son of Ribchester has failed to make the frame in his five (one race void in running) outings to date but has been far from disgraced in both handicap runs this season.
He shaped much better than the bare result when fifth over a mile and a quarter on soft ground at Newbury last time and arguably travelled like the winner with a couple of furlongs to run. Testing conditions combined with that trip probably just stretched his stamina that day and I'm not at all surprised to see connections drop back in distance on this sounder surface.
A 1lb drop in the weights will do no harm and Billy 'The Kid' Loughnane now takes off a valuable 3lb with his claim. Harry & Roger Charlton are fairly selective with the runners they send to Ffos Las with four of their past eleven (36%) horses finding the winners' enclosure and at a general price of 4/1, this gelding looks a touch of value to get off the mark in this winnable affair.
Selection: I'm Too Tired – General 4/1
We head to Kempton for our second selection. The Unibet Support Safer Gambling Handicap at 7.30 looks like a cracking race for each-way punters with most firms paying four places.
The booking of Ryan Moore on Harry Magnus certainly catches the eye, but he's been well found towards the head of the market. It's easy to make a case for plenty here in what looks like a wide-open affair but I'm going to side with Harry Magnus' stablemate, Lord Uhtred to get his career back on track.
Charlie Hill's runner looked a potentially useful sort in three starts as a juvenile. He split horses now rated 95 and 104 when going down by a neck at Haydock on his second start and had Zu Run, who also takes in this contest, back in second when landing a course and distance novice event to get off the mark at the third attempt of asking.
He's been slightly disappointing in two three-year-old handicaps this season but both runs have come on soft ground. The son of Siyouni has dropped 3lb in the weights as a result for those efforts and although Charlie Hills' form is a slight concern (0-21 in the last 14 days), this colt looks worth chancing at the prices on his first start back on the all-weather since a gelding operation.
Selection: Lord Uhtred – General 10/1
Heads turn to Gowran for our final wager and I'm expecting Youcrackmeup to give a bold sight for her hat-trick bid in the concluding McEnery Cup Handicap at 8.10.
Blinkers seem to have worked the oracle for Jessie Harrington's filly and she arrives fresh on the back of a clearcut career best when routing her rivals off the front in a thirteen-runner handicap at The Galway Festival last time.
The daughter of Cracksman has been ridden aggressively to score on her last two outings and seemingly had her rivals in trouble a long way from home at Galway sixteen days ago. She's now two from four over the mile-and-a-half trip and it would be no shock were this progressive daughter of Cracksman capable of going from pillar to post once more at a track that often favours front runners.
Selection: Youcrackmeup – General 3/1
