Horse Racing Tips on Tuesday, May 17
There are three afternoon cards in the UK tomorrow, from Brighton, Nottingham and Wolverhampton. Our 22,291/1 Lucky 15 best bets focus on the first two named on Tuesday, with one at a particularly big price.
Empress Sheba (1.40 Nottingham)
At time of writing, early prices are all we have for this contest, but EMPRESS SHEBA currently looks a ridiculous price in this fillies’ handicap.
She ran two very good races as a juvenile for Archie Watson before transferring to Les Eyre in June of last year. Although down the field on her stable debut at Beverley, she subsequently stepped right forward to be second over course and distance on her handicap debut last July.
A 282-day break then ensued, but though she officially has a 0 added to her formbook from that Thirsk run, she was 11th in a field of 19, and was only beaten 4¼ lengths. Similarly, a number of things went wrong for her that day, after being slowly away and consistently short of room.
For that, she is back down to a mark of 69, the same one off which she went so close on her only start at Nottingham. If she remains as high as she is in the market, she is worth a stake in an open race.
Tyson (2.10 Nottingham)
The class act in race three of Nottingham;s Tuesday card is TYSON, who performed up to a very decent level as a two-year-old for Richard Hannon.
In the colours of Highclere Racing, he ran seven times, finding life frustrating from a winning point of view. However, the calibre of opposition he faced cannot be underestimated: he bumped into Royal Ascot winner and 2000 Guineas fifth Berkshire Shadow on debut, while he was only half-a-length behind the very useful sprinter Hierarchy at Wolverhampton last August.
His only big let down since being gelded after his third start was when too keen over 7f at Newmarket. Over trips of 5f and 6f, however, he has been far more consistent and he earned a deserved victory at Bath on his final start as a juvenile.
This would require a step up on his first start as a three-year-old, but he was second off this mark of 80 last season and improved on his form thereafter. If he has developed between two and three, he should take some stopping.
Zulu Girl (2.30 Brighton)
A daughter of Lethal Force, ZULU GIRL has proved just that in three starts at Brighton in her career.
At few other tracks are course specialists so potent than on Brighton’s left-handed arc. Zulu Girl was second on her course and stable debut there last April, but ran there twice more later on in the season. She won on both occasions.
As well as her course form, her improvement for Daniel and Claire Kubler has also been notable. When she first raced for them at this track, she was rated 61, but had climbed to a mark of 80 by August last year. She has found life tougher since, with different trips tried, as well as enduring a below par reappearance at Doncaster recently.
However, that did serve to drop her mark to 76, which is only 1lb above her last winning one from this track last summer. She is very dangerous once again at a course she thrives at.
Wynford (2.40 Nottingham)
Since returning to the flat recently, WYNFORD has been found wanting, but not without significant excuses.
His fifth at Pontefract, when well-held after being slowly away, probably served to reacclimatise him with the level. That was over a course and distance he had won over and he was race fit after two spring runs over hurdles, but was also off a career high mark.
Down 2lb for that run, he was only declared fit to run by a vet narrowly before the off at Hamilton after colliding with the running rails on his way to post. He still posted another fifth-placed effort, beaten only 1¾ lengths, over 1m5f.
He is back up to 2m at Nottingham on Tuesday, and that should suit him far more off the same mark. If behaving himself on the way to the start, he can conserve enough energy to challenge.