Nick Luck’s blog: Winning State Of Mind at Newmarket

We’re back on the Flat from Newmarket as our ambassador Nick Luck picks out his best bets on the first day of the Craven Meeting.

Tuesday, Newmarket

HI ROYAL can kick off Newmarket’s TV season in style in the opener (1.50pm) on the first day of the Craven Meeting. The presence of a brace of well-bred Godolphin horses gives the market its shape and enables a reasonable price about Hi Royal, who was really impressive at Ayr last backend. He’s a physically impressive horse who should cope well with conditions and hit the line hard. Bred to be good, and with Ryan Moore booked, he can continue on the up at 3/1.

TACARIB BAY (2.25pm) should run well at 9/2 at a fixture where he excelled last year. Although he’s an infrequent winner, and a bit frustrating, he is largely consistent and is very likely to be competitive off this mark, particularly granted a drop back to a straight seven furlongs and without having to contend with the swamp that he faced at Doncaster last time.

EMPIRESTATEOFMIND (3.00pm) is another that will prefer just a little juice compared to the Donny quagmire, where he shaped just about best of all in the Lincoln before the lack of required stamina and poor track position began to count against him. For much of that race, he looked a horse that had improved a fair bit since last season’s efforts and I’d expect him to give a bold account from near the front at around 7/1.

RAADOBARG is worth an each way dart at tasty odds of 12/1 in the Earl Of Sefton (3.35pm). He doesn’t have masses to find with Blue Trail and the rather enigmatic Reach For The Moon as it stands, but has conditions absolutely spot on to run a big race. Added to that, he’s now with George Boughey and invariably runs his best races fresh. Of course, Poker Face has oodles of potential, and the royal runner remains of interest, but you’re likely to get a price about a talented horse with lots in his favour.