Sky Bet Sunday Series tips: Course specialist Quest can triumph

LITTLE BETTY could be the value play to make it third time lucky after promising efforts, both at this track and at Thirsk last time out. She showed plenty of speed there and could be hard to peg back over this longer trip (which should suit on pedigree). Finn’s Charm will be well-fancied after a promising effort down at Yarmouth, and is another for whom the longer distance should suit, while B Associates and Disputed both come from families who did most of their winning over middle distances. The most potent newcomer could be Holloway Boy, who is related to Supersta, the eight-time winner, though Mick Appleby’s one-time stable star did disappoint on his one start at this course.

Only Spoofing had beaten just one rival in his three starts prior to landing a gamble at Navan last time, so is very much respected from this 3 lb higher mark, but preference is for THE THIN BLUE LINE who has a fine course record, including winning here back in April. He should appreciate the drop in grade having run in a much better race at York last month. Ballintoy Harbour should be fitter for her reappearance at Thirsk last time, and is on her last winning mark, while the experienced pair of Leodis Dream and Primo’s Comet are also fairly handicapped. Last-time-out winners Harrogate, Rory, and Lost My Sock all have more on their plate here but cannot be discounted in what looks a tricky puzzle to solve.

FAST RESPONSE is unbeaten in two starts over this course and distance and is fancied to bounce back from poor runs at Chelmsford and York and complete a Musselburgh hat-trick. The returning pair of Texas Man and Le Beau Garcon are each seeking three in a row of their own, and should be watched in the betting for signs of stable confidence, while Mytilda waltzed home when winning here last July at odds of 25/1 and is another interesting contender. An opening handicap mark of 75 may underestimate the well-bred Sacred Jewel, a winner at Leicester last month, so the former Godolphin runner is considered the biggest threat of all.

Evaluation’s recent run of winning form - including the last race in this series at York last time - has come under jockey Callum Rodriguez (who has a profitable record if you backed all of his rides in 2022), so in the young jockey’s absence the horse is reluctantly passed over. King Viktor, Diocletian, Haizoom and Geremia were all behind Evaluation at York, so have some work to do here, and instead a chance is taken on TRONADOR, a Grade 3 winner over hurdles who looks just the type to improve now stepped up in trip on decent ground.

The prolific Bahrain winner Happy Craf is one to watch closely on her British debut, while the step up in trip should suit the French import Talabaat, but this quick seven furlongs also looks ideal for SNOOZE N YOU LOSE. She went close to springing a 40/1 shock at York last time, and though unlikely to be that sort of price here, she still looks fair value to add a second career success. The betting may help identify which of the St Albans Bloodstock-owned pair of Clitheroe and Eidikos is most fancied, while Morag McCullagh did well to finish as close as she did when third at Chelmsford back in April. Slow starts have hampered Pearl Glory the last twice, and she wouldn’t want to repeat that here, but she looks a big threat.

Bringitonboris would be a timely winner, but it’s his stablemate GOMETRA GINTY who gets the nod. Keith Dalgleish already has two winners in this Sky Bet Sunday Series - meaning he is five away from picking up a bonus of £25,000 - and his course and distance winner should now be ready to make a bold bid from the front after three starts this season. Tommy G and the attractively-handicapped Muntadab are others with winning form in East Lothian, while the betting should help guide to Starshiba’s chance after another drop in the weights. A more obvious danger is Business, an Irish raider who completed a hat-trick of Dundalk wins when scoring in February, but he does have plenty to prove on turf (0/4). Mister Bluebird ran as if this trip would suit when beaten at York last time and, along with Danzan and Dutch Decoy, is respected accordingly.

A very slow start ruined El Picador’s chance at York last time out, but he has the beating of the progressive Colinton on their run here in April. Both are big players once more, but preference is for GRACES QUEST. She ran well in defeat at Ayr last time out and her strong-traveling running style is well-suited to this venue (course record reads 1-3-1). Her last-time-out-winning stablemates Grand Canal and Wickywickywheels are both respected, along with recent Lingfield runner-up Sulochana who may well need to finish in the first four to cover the fuel costs involved in the near-800-mile round trip from her Berkshire base. Ghadbbaan looks the pick of the remainder.