David Massey has the Thursday Punting Pointers with the spotlight firmly fixed on his favourite haunt, Southwell.
Racing betting tips: Thursday August 27
1pt e.w Dumfries in 18:00 Southwell at 6/1 (General) - min 11/2
1pt win Pietro in 19:00 Southwell at 15/2 (General) - min 13/2
18:00 Southwell - 7f Handicap
The problem with having a bet on Thursday’s cards, when you’re looking and writing them up on a Wednesday, is the rain. Thunderstorms are always the biggest pain to predict; could get a deluge, could get nothing, and that makes punting on the turf cards a bit of a guess-up. So let’s stick to what we know, and that’s that Southwell will always be Southwell, regardless of the weather.
We were very keen on DUMFRIES at Beverley last time, a drop in class looking like it could spark a revival and we were very pleased to see some 5/1 around that morning. The fact the SP was double that - and pretty much double that again on Betfair - rather suggested we might have been barking up the wrong tree on the day. All the same, Dumfries ran a nice enough race, never near enough to challenge in a race where it suited to be on the pace, and still shaping as if he was in form.
Last time he came to Southwell was in October of last year where he once again shaped really well, running out of room late and finishing with something left in the tank, beaten a shade under three lengths, and he’s 4lb lower than that today. This should be run to suit, with Heretic and Lord Abama likely pacesetters, and Dumfries is worth sticking with for the time being, particularly dropping back to seven furlongs tonight.
18:30 Southwell - 7f Handicap
Not impossible Ruth Carr could win both divisions of the 7f Handicap tonight, as King Sharja makes some appeal here, with the slight proviso we’d have liked a stronger pace than is probable.
You could almost cut-and-paste what we wrote about Dumfries for the previous race here; caught the eye at Beverley last time, staying on nicely from the rear and doing among the best of those held up, etc etc...
Beaten a head over C&D in May (and a C&D winner here last year), he’s well handicapped and ready to strike again soon. A good chance of success, as long as they don’t dawdle early.
19:00 Southwell - 7f Handicap
By contrast, you can almost guarantee a good gallop here, with confirmed front-runner Master Richard in attendance, and there’s every chance Haaderr goes forward again, much as he did when winning a maiden here last October. Haaderr is an interesting one here, given he’s still unexposed, but so too is PIETRO, who returns after a break and might get this set up for him.
A winner over 7f at Wolverhampton on his reappearance this year, showing, he can go well fresh, he ran just as well at Chester on his next start before disappointing in the Epsom quagmire in early June.
Given a break since, it isn’t hard to see him bouncing back tonight, particularly with the James Fanshawe yard in good form.
20:30 Southwell - 6f Handicap
Pam Sly did us a grand turn with Cliff Danger at the last meeting here and we’re hoping she can do us another one with Fenlander.
He’s been placed on all three starts he’s had at the track so far, so handles the surface well, and since those runs has improved about a stone, winning three on the bounce in the late spring and despite two defeats since, has still shaped as if he’s in form and there could be more to come from this front-runner returned to this surface.
The drop in grade today can only help his cause, too.
Preview posted 09:10 BST on 27/08/26
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