Today's tips: Racing preview and best bets

Racing betting tips: Wednesday June 5

0.5pts e.w. Easy Bucks in the 2.10 Newton Abbot at 10/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4) - take no lower

1pt e.w. Star Pupil in 7.15 Kempton at 9/1 (General 1/5 1,2,3,4) - min 15/2

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2:10 Newton Abbot

There are races to be won with EASY BUCKS this summer now he’s come back down in the handicap and this stamina test should be right up his street.

The problem Easy Bucks has had of late is that he’s simply been too high in the weights after Shark Hanlon got a win out of him (on his only start for the yard before moving back to the Bowens, remarkably) in early January at Punchestown, one that saw him clobbered with a 16lb rise in the weights for what was an uncompetitive 0-100 handicap.

He’s been unable to get competitive for some time as a result of that harsh rise but he shaped better at Perth on his latest start, finishing a 14-length fourth, and he looks just about ready to win again having belatedly fallen below his last winning mark.

Sean Bowen takes over today and another step forward and while the stable – now with Peter Bowen’s eldest son Mickey on the licence – has been rather in-and-out in recent months, the success of Letterston Lily at Southwell on Tuesday made it three wins in four weeks for the new partnership and the signs are that the yard’s runners are finding some form at a time of year which is historically lucrative for Bowen.

7:15 Kempton

Best bet of the day comes in the evening at Sunbury where the Richard Hughes-trained STAR PUPIL is a confident choice to make a winning handicap bow with the step up to seven furlongs sure to bring about significant improvement.

The son of Zoustar is out of a mare who won at 7f- 1m½f and is a half-brother to the stable’s 7f-1m1½f winner Beepeecee; he made an encouraging debut over a mile here in December behind stable-companion Arcturian, and four of the five who finished ahead of him that day won their next starts. They include Derby runner Tabletalk and Portsmouth, just touched off at Epsom on Saturday from a mark of 83, while Arcturian is rated 94 by the BHA handicapper.

Star Pupil has been dropped to 6f for his last two starts, finishing a close fifth here before making all to win at Wolverhampton. He split subsequent winners now rated 80 and 76 at Kempton despite the trip looking too sharp and came good under a positive ride last time, again looking ready for a return to further, turning around previous form with Boadicia, who in turn went on to frank the form when winning at Salisbury last week.

Every single one of those formlines suggests that Star Pupil is ahead of an opening mark of 74, and with an excellent draw and further improvement expected for his first try at seven furlongs, he looks something to bet on.

Preview posted 0918 BST on 05/06/24

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