Andrew heads to the afternoon action at Perth and Newmarket for his three recommended bets/trades on Thursday, September 26th.

PERTH 3.02

IDEM is proving popular in the early betting for this 3m handicap hurdle but Lucinda Russell’s six-year-old could be in the need of the outing after a break of 141 days since May’s Kelso win. It’s also interesting to note that his trainer has a very modest record with last time out Kelso winners who were switching venues when bidding to follow up, with only two of the 37 qualifiers since 2018 proving successful for a loss of £31.50 to a £1 level stake at SP (expected winners = 5.07, A/E = 0.39). He faces a very tough rival in the shape of the five-timer seeking CITY DERBY – the best alternative for fixed odds punters – and can be sold at 20 in the Spreadex 50-25-10 market.

Recommendation: Oppose IDEM in Perth 3.02

NEWMARKET 2.45

SOPHIA’S STARLIGHT went close in Listed company on soft ground over course and distance last October, finishing second by a head to FUNNY STORY (re-opposes today), but usually struggles in Class 1 contests, recording form figures of 60274257 (0-8). In-form Grant Tuer’s four-year-old drops back down to Class 2 level today after beating only one home in a 7f Listed contest at Chelmsford and is taken to bounce back to winning ways. Her full record in Class 2 or lower company stands at 3813131152190 (5-13) for a profit of £9.08 to a £1 level stake at SP. The absence since early July will have freshened her up ahead of an autumn campaign and she looks good value at 7-1 with Spreadex against Funny Story (9-4). Back her at fixed odds or buy in the Spreadex 50-25-10 market.

Recommendation: Back SOPHIA’S STARLIGHT in Newmarket 2.45

PERTH 3.37

The Sara Ender-trained HIGH YIELD wouldn’t be an obvious contender for this 2m limited handicap hurdle after his 12-1 seventh of nine at Market Rasen last time but that was far better than it looked as he raced hard up against the inside rail where the ground was obviously slower. That was also the seven-year-old’s first run following wind surgery, and it was probably needed. He has attracted some market interest already this morning but there’s still plenty of juice in the price and he can be bought at 9 in the Spreadex 50-30-20-10 market or backed each-way at 12-1 in the fixed odds betting.

Recommendation: HIGH YIELD in Perth 3.37

Please note that these are examples of winning bets from the past week, and it is important to remember that spread betting carries a high level of risk to your capital and can result in losses larger than your initial stake/deposit.