Dave Nevison's Thursday tips: "She will be tough to beat"

Tennessee Gold had a really productive 3yo season, which ended with an impressive win at Kempton in December, and he would have been on many horses to follow lists for this year. 

He didn’t reappear until June, and things didn’t go at all well for him in a tight all-weather handicap, but even though he finished 12th, not many would have ditched him from their lists. 

Joseph Parr’s gelding met all the trouble going trying to get a gap, and would certainly have finished much closer if he had a clear run. 

Hopefully, the wide open spaces of the July course will help (he has run well here in the past) and Daniel Muscutt can steer a pathway through this field. 

Petra Celera has hit form again on her past two starts, with the application of cheekpieces possibly having a strong effect, and she won impressively at Wolverhampton last week. 

Even with the penalty, the four-year-old is still racing off a lower mark than she was running well off last summer, and she looks ready for another productive few months. 

Her weight is reduced once more by Jack Nicholls' valuable 7lb claim, and I think she will be tough to beat over her ideal trip. 

Imperial Guard is a consistent type and, as a result, doesn’t get a lot of respite from the handicapper, but Michael Dods changed the distance last time, and his charge very nearly won. 

He might have surprised a few by seeming very well suited by the drop to five furlongs, and with headgear applied here, he might well be sufficiently motivated to strike. 

The selection was bumped and worried out of things last time, and the cheekpieces might make the difference he now needs to win.