7.50 Chelmsford: Class 2 Handicap, 6f

Fair little Handicap with Richard Hannon’s Thahab as the clear favourite. There are good reasons why this lightly raced Dubawi colt is as short as he is. Thahab is the only one with course form in this field – He won a maiden here earlier this year in taking style, albeit against rather poor opposition. He wasn’t disgraced in two subsequent hot sprint Handicaps, but this here is easier today and the step up to 6f will certainly suit.

The likeliest danger is going to be the filly Quite Smart. She has the advantage of bottom weight and is going to make her Handicap debut. She won a 7f Redcar maiden well enough from the front a fortnight ago, despite hanging badly in the closing stages. The drop to 6f must not be an inconvenience today as it should be a fast and furious race with emphasis on stamina in the closing stages.

Mambo Paradise was a fair Wolverhampton maiden winner in April. One could make excuses for her performance at York three weeks ago when she meat in-running trouble on multiple occasions. She deserves another chance but has still to prove that she is up to her current mark. She might be a better prospect than Elis Eliz long term, who was a close runner-up at Wolverhampton behind her but was unable to be competitive off a revised mark subsequently.

Top weight Teruntum Star won a good Class 2 Handicap as a juvenile, though failed to fire on his seasonal reappearance. He may improve for the run but has to overcome a big mark. Mimy Ridge has a second place over CD to his name but looks quite exposed. He’s likely to struggle here, while Frostman was a winner of a poor Bath maiden recently and has to improve a good bit.

Verdict: Favourite Thahab has found a good opportunity to score, but isn’t a price to invest in. A better choice could be the scopey filly Quite Smart. She is a fine looking individual and got off the mark a fortnight ago. With more experience she is supposed to improve. Going into this race with light weight, with an additional 3lb claim by talented Cam Hardie, she should be very dangerous as long as she takes to the surface, which is the key question mark.

Quite Smart @ 11/2 Paddy Power – 5pts Win