Racing Post tipster Robbie Wilders highlights his three best bets across the cards on Thursday, including an interesting inmate from Harry Fry's yard.

4.55 Salisbury

Monjules @ 2/1 
1pt win

5.25 Salisbury

Sugar Candie @ 3/1
1pt win

6.45 Chelmsford

Cedar Cage @ 9/2
1pt

Monjules to relish switch to the Flat

The first division of the 1m6f handicap (5.25) at Salisbury looks an outstanding opportunity for MONJULES on his first start on the flat in 819 days.

The seven-year-old made a winning stable debut for Harry Fry in a handicap hurdle off a mark of 98 last December and kept progressing in that sphere, climbing to a mark of 115 after two further victories and a second last time out at Fontwell.

Monjules will be fine on the slow surface at Salisbury as he has form figures of 112 on soft or heavy going for Fry, and he has only raced five times on the flat, opening the door for further improvement as none of those outings came over further than 1m3f.

This 1m6f trip looks sure to suit him down to the ground and the booking of Kevin Stott, one of the most in-form riders in the weighing room who teams up with Fry for the first time, catches the eye.

Fry is well capable with code-switchers (17% strike-rate on the flat in the last five seasons) and saddled Metier to land the November Handicap at Doncaster last season.

Monjules looks exceptionally well treated on his return to the flat off a basement mark of 57 and should collect. He might be one to string together a winning sequence. 

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Sugar looks a sweet bet

It is worth giving another chance to SUGAR CANDIE in the following division (5.25) for Hughie Morrison.

The trainer's runners are ticking along nicely and this well-bred mare can become his third straight winner this week.

Sugar Candie is by Highland Reel and out of the same connections as high-class stayer Sweet Selection, who progressed from an opening handicap mark of 66 to eventually land the Sagaro Stakes at Ascot as a five-year-old, recording a Racing Post Rating of 107 in the process.

Sweet Selection only hit top gear when she encountered staying trips and Sugar Candie is expected to do the same.

While my selection's only attempt at 1m6f yielded a disappointing 12th of 13 at Wolverhampton in November, I'm convinced that wasn't her true running and she is worth forgiving in her bid to land a weaker race off a 3lb lower mark of 50 given her lightly raced profile.

This is only her sixth start and Morrison has booked the services of Oisin Murphy, who strikes at 25% for the trainer. Backing the pair's runners to £1 stakes would have produced a +£19.59 profit at SP and more success awaits.

Cedar can double up

The third and final staying handicap of the day, the 1m6f event at Chelmsford (6.45), can go the way of CEDAR CAGE.

This six-year-old does not have many miles on the clock for his age and arrives in rude health after landing a decent little race for the grade here over two furlongs further last time.

The fact he was held up and still managed to score in such a slowly run race means the effort is worth upgrading and a 3lb rise might underestimate him. 

Cedar Cage possesses a bit of a change of foot over staying trips, which is rare in this division, and can bag a trappy contest under 7lb claimer George Eddery, who has built a strong association with him.

Robbie Wilders

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