Thursday tips: Dave Nevison has three bets at Epsom

Jiff’s Army has been placed and ran very well on his two career starts at this trickiest of tracks, the latest of which came last time out. Stuart Williams’s gelding broke his maiden in the first week of 2025, but has struggled off too high a mark in a few runs since.

However, the handicapper has now relented and he got beat just two short heads when third over this course and distance, so obviously has a great chance here in a lower grade handicap.

He looks to have done well with the draw and, with cheekpieces added to the tongue tie and Rossa Ryan an eyecatching booking, he looks set to attract support. 

Kotari scored the last of his three victories last year at Ascot in May off a mark 5lb higher than he runs off here and he subsequently went on to run very well off a 10lb higher mark over this course and distance.

He is demonstrably very well handicapped if he could be persuaded back to form and the signs were much stronger last time out. He ran fourth at Goodwood last time out and seemed to be staying on in determined fashion over the 14-furlong trip.

Hopefully the extra distance was not the sole reason for the improved form and, with a tongue tie added to the cheekpieces, I feel Kotari is worth chancing here. Ella Smart has ridden a couple of winners for the Moores already in her brief career. 

Silvestre de Sousa is definitely a jockey booking I look out for at a track like Epsom and seeing him booked to ride one for bang in-form Roger Varian definitely takes the eye.

Suzuka is still a maiden and hasn’t made the frame in three runs this year, but definitely ran her best race when beaten less than three lengths at Goodwood (not dissimilar to Epsom).

That is her only career run on turf so far and, if she can build on that off a 4lb lower mark, she surely has decent prospects in a winnable race to end the card.