Rhys Williams' Racing Tips: 2 Selections For Friday
Horse racing expert Rhys Williams is sharing his best selections for Friday's action.
Rhys has been a racing analyst for over 10 years, working for At The Races and, most recently, as a tipster for Betfair, where his tipping column achieved a 31% ROI over 4.5 years.
He often focuses on the back end of the market, finding angles that aren't evident to most.
Rhys' tips have returned 363.42 points from 230.0 points staked, meaning his profit and loss record stands at a whopping +133.42pts overall - thanks to a sensational spell that included Lamar Canyon's recent win at 150/1.
Here is Rhys' tip for Friday, using the most up-to-date odds from the best horse racing betting sites.
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17:35 Curragh: Thyer - 0.5pt Win @ 16/1
Thyer wasn’t competitive in four starts for this yard last season, but I think he’s capable of taking a step forward on his seasonal debut.
Those four runs were under unsuitable circumstances for him to show his best with either the wrong ground, the wrong trip or a combination of the pair.
He did show more encouragement on his final start of last year at this track when making some late headway on unsuitably bad ground, having met with trouble in running on a few occasions.
The return to quicker ground and a mile are positives for Thyer’s chance, and the yard has started well this season from limited numbers.
There is concern about his head carriage, and maybe he will need the return of the headgear he wore during training with Marco Botti, but I think this is the first opportunity since moving to Ireland that Thyer has had to show his best.
Any 12/1 or bigger appeals.
19:55 Curragh: Hatim - 0.5pt Win @ 100/1
The market has identified the obvious ones in this staying handicap, but there’s one at a huge price that I think has the potential to run better than the market suggests.
Hatim is making his first start for Morna McDowall, having previously been trained in France by Francois Rohaut.
His first step up to staying trips back in 2024 suited him, first being narrowly beaten by Annabel’s Ghost and then winning with more in hand than the margin suggests at Le Lion d’Angers.
He continued to put in solid efforts in handicap company last season, including when looking like a strong stayer two starts ago at Longchamp when running on well to finish eighth.
He also didn’t travel too well that day and often seemed to lose focus, so the application of cheekpieces last time was a good choice, but that test didn’t suit him.
I think this trip will suit Hatim, and the combination of a tongue tie and cheekpieces is the right choice to get the best out of him.
This race is likely to be stronger run than the handicaps he’s been contesting in France, which I think will suit him given his strong-staying nature, and there’s potential for further improvement under these conditions.
It may be that he will be similar to Annabel’s Ghost and need even more of a test of stamina to bring more out of him, and he is with a trainer whose focus has been on sales horses rather than racing.
His price is too big to ignore, and any 33/1 or bigger appeals.
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