Newmarket best bet: Drop in class can help First Officer show his mettle

20:10 Newmarket: Boodles Handicap  (1 mile 2 furlongs)

The early betting suggests that the winner should emerge from one of the four clear market leaders, all of whom are available between 9/4 and 11/2 at the time of writing.

At the same time, those prices make it a tricky call in terms of betting value, with Devoirs Choice the possible pick of the bunch as he looks to land his maiden win at the seventh attempt under Oisin Murphy.

The uncertainty at the top of the market has led a glut of Tipstrr’s each-way specialists to look deeper in the betting, where the remaining seven runners are all available at 14/1 or greater at the time of writing.

Big Zou and Tatateo both won on their penultimate starts, albeit months ago, but it is First Officer who has been tipped to punch above his weight and squeeze his way into the four-place frame that is being offered by some bookmakers.

Jane Chapple-Hyam’s charge finished last season in style over this distance on the Rowley course here, backing up a tidy half-length win with a hard-fought runner-up spot in a 0-90 handicap in November.

Suggested best bet: First Officer each-way in the 20:10 at Newmarket

The five-year-old emerged seamlessly from a six-month winter break to hit the ground running at Windsor in April, stretching out the field to beat the closest of his seven rivals by more than a length.

He was last seen at Nottingham seven weeks ago, when he finished a creditable fifth of nine, barely a length behind the winner, in a Class 3 0-95 handicap in which all of his rivals were rated higher than anything he will face at Newmarket this evening, plus it was over a seemingly inadequate one-mile trip.

First Officer has won in all conditions before, but his best performances have been over this distance when there has been a little juice underfoot, so he should relish the cut in the forecast good-to-soft ground on the July Course.

He should be further helped by the seven-pound allowance of returning jockey Sorin Moldoveanu, effectively making him four pounds better off than that last commendable effort, and in a drop in class to boot, he is expected to put in a better showing than his double-digit price might suggest. 

• Tip advised by Golden Gallop Tips on Tipstrr