Friday horse racing tips: In-form Dave Nevison’s best bets

We have a terrific card at Newmarket, featuring Inspiral in the Fillies' Mile who I’m on for the 1000 Guineas. If she wins this she will certainly go short for the Classic and, by 4pm, hopefully I’ll have a few good value betting slips to keep me feeling warm over the winter.

I’m hoping Luke Morris has a good afternoon at York which stages some terrifically competitive handicaps.

3.15 York: Shelir

I think the cheekpieces are an overdue gamble and I’m happy to give him at least one throw now that they’ve been applied.

It’s taken an awful long time for connections to reach for the headgear for this genuine but exasperating horse, perhaps understandably so as he runs in competitive races and invariably runs well. However, the fact is he’s been second five times this year and beaten narrowly on most occasions. The handicapper never gives him any respite because of his consistency.

Shelir seems perfectly well suited to around a mile on softish ground so conditions are fine for him. He has just about the perfect draw in 4 for a horse who likes to race prominently.

3.50 York: Ziggy

There are several impressive-looking young stayers in this, but Ziggy could be overlooked in the market a little.

He’s by a St Leger winner and his dam was a Listed winner over a mile and a half and relished soft ground, so this step-up in trip should not prove beyond Ziggy. Indeed, I think it’s a really good move as he’s definitely looked to lack the necessary gears to win a top 10f handicap.

He did really well last time at Sandown but was never going to get past in-form winner Crema Inglesa. Ziggy will get a strong pace that will suit him well here and Luke Morris is the perfect jockey to really keep him going at the end of what will be a tough test.

4.20 York: Good Luck Fox

He had the draw in his favour at Redcar last weekend but still ran really well to be second in a similarly competitive sprint.

Good Luck Fox showed he is still bang in form at this stage of the season and that may not be the case for several of his rivals, who may well be going over the top for the season. Only one other horse in this big-field handicap finished in the first three last time out, which I feel would be unusual for a race at this track.

He is still on the same mark and all ground comes alike to him so I am hoping Luke Morris can have a good afternoon with a quick double.