Irish Horse Racing Tips – Best Bets on Navan’s Thursday Card

Irish Horse Racing Tips – Thursday, August 25

The action in Ireland on Thursday comes from Navan, which hosts an eight-race Flat card. Our Irish horse racing expert has identified his top bets on the day which you can check out below.

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Thunderbear (1.50 Navan)

The Navan Racecourse Nursery Handicap looks like a good opportunity for THUNDERBEAR to get off the mark at the sixth attempt.

Jack Davison’s colt has produced some eye-catching form in his brief career to date which includes a Down Royal second to Saturday’s Listed winner Treasure Trove.

Thunderbear was somewhat ambitiously tilted at the Group 3 Anglesey Stakes at the Curragh on penultimate run, when a 150/1 fifth to Little Big Bear, but with his sights lowered in a Galway maiden last time he finished a credible fourth (beaten just 4l) not quite seeing out the 7f trip (wandered under pressure).

Thunderbear had travelled powerfully though that race, which suggests dropping back to an extended 5f on this stiffer track looks a good move, and he is sent handicapping off a mark of 80, which is surely workable on more than once piece of his form shown to date.

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Molly’s Gamble (3.35 Navan)

Navan’s www.navanracecourse.ie Handicap has attracted a strong field, but of the runners, MOLLY’S GAMBLE rates the one to beat.

This daughter of Battle Of Marengo broke her maiden at the seventh attempt when taking a Killarney handicap last month, and she came close to supplementing that when runner-up at Galway last time, a performance worth upgrading as she was drawn very wide in stall 16 and was held up in a race where the leaders didn’t come back.

Molly’s Gamble has gone up 6lb for that showing, but that’s not expected to stop her in her current mood, whilst this race may also be set up to suit.

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Guild (4.45 Navan)

Gordon Elliott’s Benz is undoubtedly going to be popular for the first division of Navan’s Racing Next At Navan On Saturday September 3rd Handicap given he was a hurdles winner last time out and had run respectably on his last start on the level, but preference instead goes to the topweight GUILD.

Luke Comer’s 7yo was a winner for these connections at Dundalk in October and held his form afterwards.

Guild made an eye-catching return to the turf when a 66/1 sixth (beaten just over 5l) in a 1m5f handicap here in April, staying on strongly from the back of the field. Guild admittedly hasn’t been at that level in two subsequent starts, but one of those efforts came in a German Group 2 and the other in a competitive Galway handicap.

This represents a notable drop-in class for Guild on a track that he clearly likes, whilst his current mark of 65 is now only 3lb above his last winning rating. Chris Hayes was aboard that day, and he is back in the saddle here for the first time in five starts, which looks noteworthy.