Two To Play Each Way On Thursday

It wasn’t just me that fancied Mont Kiara yesterday as both Andy Holding and Jason Weaver tipped him up too. However, a tardy start meant he never got involved for Shane Gray and he remained in rear from start to finish. It was a bitterly disappointing run from him but he is undoubtedly capable of better and he will be of interest again this season when the handicapper gives him some slack.


I like the look of two mares tomorrow and I am abandoning the flat and going back to the jumps. My best bet of the day goes at Cheltenham in the Listed Mares’ handicap hurdle at 3.15 and this likeable sort is one of my favourite horses in training. Regular readers of the blog will be familiar with Midnight Jazz and though she could only manage 6th in the Grade 1 Mares’ Hurdle here it was a superb effort on ground she doesn’t like.
 

Midnight Jazz gets her ground at Cheltenham.

This will be her first run on proper good ground this season and she races off a mark of 136. This 8yo daughter of Midnight Legend relishes a decent surface and she was beaten just a head over an inadequate trip by none other than Vroum Vroum Mag the last time she encountered good ground in a Grade 2 at Doncaster (16.5f). Her career form figures on good ground read 20321212 and she is racing off her last winning mark on Thursday.

Midnight Jazz has yet to win on her four previous visits to Cheltenham but two of those came in Grade 1s at the festival. She does have placed handicap form here though, beaten 4.5L on ground softer than ideal over course and distance and she picked up some black type on her first visit here when 3rd in a Listed hurdle. Kielan Woods knows her well having ridden her to victory twice before and at odds of 18/1 I think she is a cracking each way bet.

The other mare I fancy goes in the 16f handicap hurdle at Fairyhouse at 6.55 and I think the return of Ricky Doyle and the drop back to 16f both look to be big positives for 20/1 shot Trans Wood. This 5yo daughter of Trans Island has been a frustrating sort to follow but she did run a nice race at a big price for us when I put her up at Punchestown a couple of months ago (16f hvy).

This strong traveller was ridden by an inexperienced 7lb claimer that day and given the amount of trouble she found in running she would have finished a lot closer than 5th beaten 8L with a kinder passage. The same rider was on board again when she was stepped up in trip at Clonmel (18f hvy) and she again finished 5th, though this time she was beaten a lot further.

She went very well for a long way when 6th off a mark of 91 on her last visit to Fairyhouse for Ricky Doyle and he claims 5lb off her back again today off a mark of 88. He will be chock full of confidence too after firing in a lovely double at Tramore. Hopefully he can keep the winning sequence going on Trans Wood on Thursday and at odds of 20/1 she looks worth chancing each way. A small each way double on both selections might be worth doing too.

STEVOS’ SELECTIONS: 3.15 CHELT: MIDNIGHT JAZZ E/W 18/1; 6.55 FAIRYHOUSE: TRANS WOOD E/W @ 20/1