Chelmsford Horse Racing Tips for Thursday

The latest in Chelmsford’s weekly Thursday night meetings is here and every contest on the bumper nine-race card is sponsored by bet365.

Racing Post tipster Graeme Rodway is on hand to run through his selections from the meeting.

Thursday’s Chelmsford Horse Racing Betting Tips and Odds

17:30 Chelmsford – Secret Mistral @ 9/2
18:30 Chelmsford – Bulldog Drummond @ 16/1
20:30 Chelmsford – Switchel @ 4/1

17:30 Chelmsford – Secret Mistral @ 9/2

The It's Never Ordinary At bet365 Handicap (17:30) looks like a good opportunity for Secret Mistral, who was an easy winner over course and distance two weeks ago and can follow up.

The Tony Carroll-trained five-year-old looked well suited by this sharp, left-handed venue on her first start at the course that day and ran away from her rivals to win by two and a quarter lengths.

She has been hit with a 6lb rise in the weights for that easy victory, but it was a big career-best Racing Post Rating and she remains unexposed at this track, so is open to further improvement.

Rossa Ryan, who rode her for the first time on that last start, is back in the saddle and Secret Mistral looks to have an outstanding chance for in-form Tony Caroll, who has been firing in the winners. 

18:30 Chelmsford – Bulldog Drummond @ 16/1

The bet365 Handicap (18:30) is an open sprint handicap and it’s worth giving Bulldog Drummond another chance. He was well beaten at Southwell last time, but had previously run well at Wolverhampton and is now 2lb lower than when recording that good third last month.

Bulldog Drummond was beaten only two and a quarter lengths by Many A Star on that occasion and that form looks good because the winner has since gone on to score another two successes subsequently.

The selection obviously needs to bounce back from his disappointing run at Southwell three weeks ago, when he beat only one home, but that was his first run at that track and he was drawn out wide. He is also a horse who seems to act only at certain venues and has a poor record at Lingfield as well.

He evidently likes Wolverhampton, where he has two seconds and a third from four starts, and there is a good chance that he will be equally effective at Chelmsford. He has run only once at the Essex venue, but that resulted in a good second behind the now 93-rated Sommelier in November 2023.

A reproduction of anything like that form would give Bulldog Drummond a huge chance from a mark of just 77 and connections have slapped the tonguestrap back on. Two of his three wins are in that aid.

20:30 Chelmsford – Switchel @ 4/1

One horse who certainly likes Chelmsford is Switchel and she is strongly fancied to record her second victory at the track in the Watch Racing Live At bet365 Handicap (20:30) that closes the card.

Switchel is only 3lb higher than when recording her last victory over course and distance in November and she has been running well in defeat away from this venue on her recent starts.

The five-year-old was beaten only half a length into second over 1m4f at Lingfield in November off this mark and ran to a similar level when third over 1m3f at Southwell before Christmas.

A reproduction of either run might be good enough here and, while she was below her best over course and distance last time, she got carried off a true line by the runner-up and ended up in the kickback. She could return to form now, with the blinkers added to a tonguestrap for the first time.

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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.