RACE PREVIEWS & TIPS (THURSDAY)

18:40 Chelmsford A Momentofmadness looks to maintain his unbeaten all-weather record. The Charlie Hills trained gelding put in a great performance to finish second in a very competitive race at Goodwood. Just a one pound rise in weight seems very fair and there’s no doubt this four year old should put up a very brave attempt in what looks a less competitive race. Stepper Point, in his heyday, would’ve trounced this field but sadly those days are long gone. He still has enough left in the tank to possibly squeeze some prize money but to claim the win may be too much. Derek Shaw’s duo (Top Boy and Dynamo Walt) love it around here with a hatful of wins between them. Based solely on course form they can give this another good crack but they tend to do better in less classier races and may run in to one in A Momentofmadness. A MOMENTOFMADNESS (WIN) – NAP

19:50 Newcastle A trappy all-weather handicap awaits where El Vip takes a huge drop in class to hopefully get back to winning ways. Despite the horses clear chances it’s been a nightmare to judge and based on this seasons two outings I couldn’t be confident backing him as a short priced favourite. Course and distance winner Prying Pandora looks to rack up a sequence of victories and can’t be easily discounted, especially with Paul Hanagan booked for the ride. I am in fact siding with the same owners as the aforementioned Prying Pandora and opting to plump with Mulligatawny. A lightly raced four year old who’s only tackled an artificial surface on three previous starts and never finishing out of the top three on all of them. A recent third placed effort at Thirsk will stand him in good stead and should have enough to place if not more. MULLIGATAWNY (E/W)