Rachel Candelora's Thanksgiving tips: Be dressed to Empress at Chelmsford

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

There is a Thanksgiving feast for All-Weather fans on Thursday with racing at both Newcastle and Chelmsford City and I have a couple of picks at both venues.

2.20 Newcastle – Master Singer:

John Gosden sends this three-year-old son of Giant's Causeway up to Newcastle to contest this valuable 1m4f handicap, as he bids to extend his unbeaten record on the All-Weather.

Having broken his maiden at Newcastle in May by 16 lengths he made it two out of two on the Tapeta when scoring in first time blinkers at Wolverhampton last time out.

Despite his 5lbs rise in the weights he still looks a horse to follow.

4.35 Newcastle – Great Shot Sam:

I tipped up this daughter of Shackleford at Kempton, when second on her debut, and when she disappointed at Pontefract next time - but I am not going to desert her now.

In my view she should not have run at Pontefract, given the heavy ground and she should improve for returning to the All-Weather.

A reproduction of her Kempton form would be good enough to win this race and I really like that for the first time she is racing against only her own sex.

5.55 Chelmsford - Blessed To Empress:

I am currently doing the rounds of the All-Weather tracks and on Thursday I will be at Newcastle and last week I was at Chelmsford when Blessed To Empress finished third.

Given the way the track was riding that evening (deep track playing to speed) she had little chance of winning having being dropped in from her wide post position and she did remarkably well to stay on and finish as close as she did.

On Thursday she is far better drawn and hopefully she will be sent forward as she made most of the running when she made a winning debut over course and distance in May.

8.00 Chelmsford – Golden Steps:

Before we tuck into the roast turkey and all of the trimmings on Thanksgiving let us have a good old-fashioned American angles play.

One of the biggest angles in American racing is "the biggest hop is the drop" and in the shape of Golden Steps we have a huge grade dropper, having won the 2016 Bunbury Cup at Newmarket he now, after a unsuccessful spell in Qatar, lines up for his next UK start in a claimer with a tag of £12,000 around his neck.

Usually this might be considered a "dubious drop" but the fact that he is owned by the Melbourne Ten Racing Syndicate - who have openly declared that they have set up a number of horses to try to win the All-Weather Owners’ Championship this winter - negates that worry. They won a similar claimer at Lingfield on Saturday.

Rachel Candelora's Thursday tips: (Prices correct at 9.00am)

2.20 Newcastle: Master Singer at 11-10 with Coral and Ladbrokes

4.35 Newcastle: Great Shot Sam at 15-8 with Coral and BetVictor

5.55 Chelmsford: Blessed To Empress at a generally available 7-2

8.00 Chelmsford: Golden Steps at 6-5 with Bet 365 and BetVictor