Horse Racing Tips: Tanya Stevenson's Selections For The Weekend

Tanya Stevenson's Selections For The Weekend

• The Panel Selection 1: 15:07 (Saturday) Sandown - Shoot First (Nap) - Win - 13/2 With William Hill
• The Panel Selection 2: 14:17 (Saturday) Musselburgh - Mack The Man - Each-Way - 40/1 With William Hill
• The Panel Selection 3: 14:25 (Sunday) Musselburgh - Surrey Quest - Win - 8/1 With William Hill
• The Panel Selection 4: 15:00 (Sunday) Musselburgh - Hamsiyann - Win - 11/4 With Bet365

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 1: Musselburgh 15:07 (Saturday) - Shoot First (Nap)

Obviously the Dublin Racing Festival takes centre stage across Saturday and Sunday, but it may be worth taking a look at some of the Irish-trained runners trying to poach some valuable prizes at Sandown and Musselburgh. 

The Long Walk Hurdle form may still not yet have worked out, but there may be some excuses with that.

Strong Leader ran exactly the same at Cheltenham as he did in the Ascot Grade 1, plus he is proven now not to like the Gloucestershire air, and Crambo might just act best at Ascot, Newbury and Aintree. 

It may go some way in explaining why in the Long Walk, Shoot First was tanking along behind Crambo as they turned for home and approached the second last. 

He then forgot to take off and all but fell, scraping his nose along the ground.

Philip Byrnes did well to stay on board and then make sure Shoot First was alright by easing him down and popping him over the last.  

Had all gone well, I sense he would have filled a place and we wouldn’t be looking at the 15:00 at Sandown, but the Stayers Hurdle instead.

Prior to Ascot he ploughed through the mud at Haydock to win the valuable Betfair Stayers' Handicap Hurdle. That was only his second run after a 735-day break. 

Nine-year-old Shoot First has only had 10 races and won three of them.

I know it’s a big ask off 12-stone, but I can’t get out of my mind how he was travelling at Ascot in a Grade 1.  

The one horse I worry about in the race is Deep Cave, though I think the handicapper still has hold of him.

Shoot First has already landed a Grade 3. Charles Byrnes doesn’t have many runners here these days - only 10 in the last five seasons, with three wins and three further places.  

Obviously many will insist on watching for market moves on betting apps, yet I sense this is a brilliant bit of placing as the ground is sure to be deep, if they were inspecting on Thursday and thinking of an all-chase meeting.

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 2: Musselburgh 14:17 (Saturday) - Mack The Man

A bit earlier at Musselburgh, I'm aligning myself with another equine elder statesman in the Scottish County Hurdle. Mack The Man is an 11-year-old trained by Nick Alexander. 

If you want some background on the race, favourites have only won two of the 17 runnings, and the biggest price of the winner was 2009's European Dream 12-1.  

Five of the last eight winners have been ridden by a conditional and the oldest winner over the decade has been seven. So I am wading through treacle to beat some of the recent trends.

However, other than last year's winner Afadil, it isn’t the strongest renewal. I think the astute Alexander can see that.

Afadil is going for his third straight win at the meeting but he is lost, his form has deserted him and ordinarily Paul Nicholls would be coming into this meeting with a 20% strike rate. Currently it's 8%. 

Mack The Man’s last run leaves a lot to be desired, yet he won as recently as November. On his penultimate start he was third to Cracking Rhapsody and his stablemate - Ginger Mail - was fourth, who subsequently won at Ayr. 

Mack The Man can front run, and round Musselburgh he can slip a couple of lengths clear turning for home. His jockey Kit Alexander is his great friend and can make sure he snatches at least a place.

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 3: Musselburgh 14:25 (Sunday) - Surrey Quest

On to Sunday at Musselburgh, where Inis Oirr returns to defend his Edinburgh National crown at 14:25. Magna Sam, who won in 2023, is also in the line-up, yet the 2025 renewal looks very strong. 

The brilliant jumper King Turgeon is burdened with top weight, although I sense this course is too tight for him. He is more effective over shorter at a bigger more sweeping course. 

Surrey Quest might well be the one to side with, after beaten a whisker in the Scottish Grand National. He was a brave runner-up on seasonal debut at Cheltenham, a course that wouldn’t have suited. 

Then he was travelling well when falling with seven to jump in the Mandarin Chase, a race he won in 2023. The handicapper might have him where he wants him and his sights might well be firmly set on Ayr again.  

This is a track that will definitely suit and his ability to travel up with the pace will be a massive plus.

Tanya Stevenson Panel Tip 4: Musselburgh 15:00 (Sunday) - Hamsiyann

There are plenty of interesting runners in the Pertemps qualifier (15:00), none more so than Hamsiyann. 

If there is an intention to try and run in the Pertemps at the Festival, he needs to finish in the first four, but more than that he needs to boost his rating from its current mark of 121. 

He has so much class in relation to his rivals highlighted by his flat form a rating of 91, after his second in the Chester Plate to stablemate Alphonse Le Grand. 

The run prior was a race that got away, when he was unlucky at Ascot over hurdles.

All eyes were on him at Cheltenham and he didn’t disappoint, winning cheekily from the likes of Long Draw and Wyenot, who then went on to big races themselves.  

Hamsiyann sits around fourth in the market on betting sites for the big prize in March and this could well be a means to show his talents further.