Rhys Williams' Daily Horse Racing Tips: 2 Selections For Thursday

The Panel are delighted to have Rhys Williams as part of our team of racing tipsters.

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 had a 31% ROI over four and a half years. 

He often focuses away from the front end of the market, finding angles that aren't evident to most and his profit and loss stands as -7.95 points from 15.5 points staked, with returns of 7.55 points. 

Here is Rhys' tips for Thursday, using the most up-to-date odds from the best horse racing betting sites.

12:47 Thurles: Lady Nightingale - 0.5pts Each-Way @ 12/1

Rising Dust is a short-priced favourite for this handicap chase, and he may be too good for his rivals back over fences having shown significant improvement since joining Emmet Mullins.

However, there’s a rival having her first start for a new yard who I think could be more of a danger than the market suggests.

Lady Nightingale is making her first start for Declan Queally and that trainer switch has the potential to bring her back to life having shown very little this year.

If he can get her back to the level that she showed when second in a couple of mares’ maiden hurdles in 2024 then she will have a good chance off a mark of 85, and the drying ground is in her favour.

This is her chasing debut, but she showed an aptitude for jumping fences when fourth in a point on her debut.

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That a tongue tie goes on for the first time suggests the new trainer may have already found an issue that was holding her back of late. 

It may turn out that she’s had a problem that means she’s not as good as she was and the decline will continue but in a race lacking depth in quality I think she’s overpriced and any 8/1 or bigger appeals.

Rhys' Selection 1: 12:47 Thurles - Lady Nightingale - 0.5pts Each-Way

15:52 Taunton: No Hard Feelings - 0.5pts Each-Way @ 33/1

No Hard Feelings makes his rules debut in the bumper at Taunton, and I think he will find this a more suitable test than running in points over three miles.

He looked a non-stayer in all four starts in that sphere, but showed ability in all of them with various tactics used. 

He made the running on debut and was still in front, leaving the back straight on the very long run to the last but was headed and faded quickly late on to finish fourth. 

More patient tactics were used next time at Curraghmore, where he was still travelling well entering the home straight a few lengths behind the leaders - but didn’t find much and finished well beaten behind some good opposition.

They went back to making the running two starts ago over the same course and distance that he raced over on debut. 

This time he got into a battle with Deebert at the end of the back straight and they went clear of the field, but No Hard Feelings didn’t see out the trip as well as that rival and weakened to finish fifth. 

The plan on his latest start was to ride him far more patiently, but the early keenness he showed meant that went out the window and he made the running before fading late on with the ground being softer than ideal for him.

I think the quicker ground today will be more to No Hard Feelings’ liking and the sharper test should also help his cause.

It is a bit concerning that his four runs have been quite so spaced out, but it could be that connections were looking for better ground either at the very start or very end of the season. 

While he has been in the past so the hood may help in that regard, there is also the concern that he may not have needed it over this shorter trip.

It could blunt his finishing effort, but I think he’s overpriced in a bumper that may not be too strong and any 16/1 or bigger appeals.

Rhys' Selection 2: 15:52 Taunton - No Hard Feelings - 0.5pts Each-Way

* Odds correct at time of publishing. 

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