Nick Luck’s blog: Mostabshir can strike in the Craven

William Hill ambassador Nick Luck puts forward his best bets for day three of the Craven Meeting from Newmarket, as well as a fancy on Thursday’s Cheltenham card.

Newmarket, Thursday

PINAFORE can take the TV opener on Craven day at Newmarket (1.50pm). I’d rather she was drawn a little higher, but she might be well enough handicapped to negate that judged on the middle of her two runs, in which she comfortably beat a horse now rated significantly higher. She represents top connections and is open to plenty of improvement at 5/1.

SYLLABUS looks a likely type on pedigree for the Wood Ditton (2.25pm) at 13/2. He’s by Sea The Stars – with whose progeny the trainer has an outstanding record – out of a mare that has already produced the more-than-smart Zechariah.

SILKY WILKIE is worth backing each-way at 12/1 in the Abernant (3.00pm). Creative Force will be very hard to beat, but he’s odds-on and hasn’t always been at his best after a break, so a chance is taken at big odds on a horse who is fit, tough, still improving and is likely to be the only one bar the favourite who wants to go forward in a race where the hold-up horses will get no cover.

MOSTABSHIR is a speculative pick at 10/3 in the Craven (3.35pm). With Naval Power out and The Foxes racing over a bare minimum here, the Gosden colt may be able to bely inexperience. Certainly he looked a real prospect on his debut, quickening smartly having done a bit too much early in the race. There was some relative depth to that minor race and – as a half brother to Mostahdaf – he should appreciate the drying conditions.

Cheltenham, Thursday

MARADA comes with risks attached but is worth a go at 10/1 in the TV race at Cheltenham (1.30pm). She was a pretty smart mare two years ago, when rated way higher than this, before heading off to have a foal by Dink (made 17k at the sales). She is now back in training with her former yard and has come right down the weights after three lesser efforts. That said, there was much more encouragement in the first run after a wind-op and this ground is what she wants.