Saturday gives us three meetings to work through and a leaning towards the bigger prices. Eight picks in total, and five of them are out past the four-to-one mark, so this is a day for small interests spread across cards rather than piling in on one short-priced banker. Thirsk is where most of the work lands, with four of our names running there through the afternoon and into the evening.
Listowel kicks things off in Ireland on good to yielding ground. Tim Toe catches the eye in the 3:50. He has a bumper win and a Bellewstown maiden over a mile and three behind him, and now he drops back to a flat mile for Henry De Bromhead, who knows this track as well as anyone. Whelan keeps the ride. The form there reads better than the bare numbers let on. Half an hour later Toy Soldier lines up in the 4:20 off a mark of 52 that looks workable. He was a two-length fourth of fifteen at Killarney last time, his best since joining the yard, and stall 18 with the weight easing is no hindrance round here. Little Empire completes the Irish trio in the 3:15.
Over at Thirsk the standout is Noble Vow in the 4:15. The No Nay Never colt heads here on a two-timer, off the mark in a Bath maiden before powering home to follow up in a five-furlong Haydock handicap just over a week ago. He is up seven pounds for that but drawn nicely in stall 4, and the way he finished suggests there is more in the locker. Montezuma drops back to the minimum trip in the 4:45, which should suit after he found six furlongs stretching him last time at Hamilton. Then Letsbefrank goes in the 5:15, a thriving six-year-old who has won his last two under Lauren Young and already knows how to win round Thirsk. A five-pound rise might not be enough to stop him. Thaluna rounds off the evening in the 6:45, and Nottingham gives us Time To Take Off in the 3:55.
Yesterday handed us a winner in Pride Of Nepal at 2.38, with Recency Bias, Redorange and Half A Chance all filling places, so the day paid its way without a banner result.
Plenty to keep an eye on as the afternoon unfolds, and Thirsk in particular is worth following from first pick to last.