Friday tips: Hold-up Steed could pursue profit on your behalf

I was three from four last week courtesy of Swilly Sunset, Titi Makfi and Yorkidding which was fun but frustrating. It was the one I fancied the most, Kashmiri Sunset, that got beat too. Typical!

I’ve gone for similarly shortish prices this week. Next week’s Welcome to Yorkshire Ebor Festival on the Knavesmire will provide an opportunity for some chunkier ones.

2.40 Newbury - Pursuing Steed:

I like Pursuing Steed at Newbury on Friday. In some ways he is the obvious one, having won four from his last four runs. He has gone up 22lb in the process.

He is not flashy, though, and was good value for his win by a short head last time.

His hold-up style of racing means he will never get severely punished by the handicapper for a win and a 3lb rise looks fair.

This mile trip may bring about further improvement and he is a course winner with an excellent chance of racking up a five-timer.

3.10 Newbury – Machine Learner:

Machine Learner will be ridden by Ryan Moore for the third time in succession and has been raised 4lb for an excellent effort last time at Sandown.

He has proved that he is versatile with regards to underfoot conditions and bumped into a good one in UAE King at Sandown.

That horse has since followed up with a win in some style at Ascot and Machine Learner had to wait for a run before staying on that day.

I am not saying that he would have won, but he would have given a well-treated horse plenty to think about and was running him down at the line. He is entitled to go very close on just his third start of the season.

5.50 Newmarket - Hart Stopper:

The stalls may be far side at Newmarket but we see low draws come to the fore time and again at the July Course and Hart Stopper is well served by stall two in the Fly London Southend Airport To Milan Handicap.

He has won three of his last five, including the last two occasions he has been partnered by Jamie Spencer although two of those defeats were at the course.

That said, they both came with juice underfoot and I’ll give him another chance back on slightly quicker ground.

That was a good race he ran in last time, too, and it has had the form franked by Golden Apollo in the Shergar Cup Sprint on Saturday. I fancy they have nowhere near got to the bottom of him off a mark of 84.

7.55 Newmarket - Derek Duval:

The last at Newmarket looks a good race, but it would be no surprise were favourite Dowayla to run away with this.

She will have company up front from Florenza though, and I like Derek Duval as a horse.

He ran well from off the speed behind Lualiwa two starts ago, a horse that bumped in to Golden Apollo at the weekend, and soft ground may well have been to blame last time when fifth of six.

He is a previous course winner so a return to quicker ground at this track is a plus and if they go off fast he may pick up the pieces.

Tom Stanley's Friday tips: (Prices correct at 6pm on Thursday):

2.40 Newbury: Pursuing Steed at 6-1 with Paddy Power and William Hill

3.10 Newbury: Machine Learner at 2-1 generally available

5.50 Newmarket: Hart Stopper at 6-1 generally available

7.55 Newmarket: Derek Duval at 9-1 generally available