Absinthe looks a blinding bet at 10/1
Absinthe has been shaping as if ready to strike and makes plenty of appeal at 10/1 in the 3.15 at Nottingham.
The five-year-old progressed into useful handicapper last season, winning at Sandown and Windsor.
He made a mockery of his mark of 83 in the latter, when heavily eased to beat Urban Space by two lengths in the soft over 1m 2f.
Walter Swinburn’s charge did little in his first two starts this season, but has been placed in solid handicaps on his last three outings and deserves to get his head in front.
His consistency has seen the handicapper put him up to a mark of 89, but given the way he won at Windsor last year under similar conditions to those that he faces today I feel he is more than capable of going in off that rating.
With the rain getting into the ground he will relish the underfoot conditions, and from a good draw in stall 3 a big run looks assured.
I had him priced up at no bigger than 7/1 on my tissue, so the 10/1 on offer looks more than generous.
Daily Sport recommended bet: 2pts each-way Absinthe (10/1 generally available – BOG firms)
16/1 Boundless Spirit handicapped to score
Boundless Spirit has slipped back down to a mark he can exploit and looks overpriced at 16/1 in the 2.10 at Nottingham.
Dandy Nicholls’ gelding too advantage of a drop in the weights when scoring at Hamilton five starts back off a mark of 65 and has since run fare better than his form figures suggest off higher marks without troubling the judge.
He was far from disgraced when finishing fourth to Rylee Mooch off 70 at Carlisle and when sixth of 11 to Rutterkin off 71 at Chester, and really caught the eye last time out when a never nearer 7th of 13 to Forever’s Girl at Redcar.
The son of Invincible Spirit did the best of those held up that day in a slowly run race which favoured those at the head of affairs, and was not knocked about to be beaten just four lengths.
He is far better when having a strong pace to chase, and with plenty of trail blazers in today’s line-up he should get the race run to suit.
The handicapper has been quick to relent and drop him back down to a mark of 66, and given that he is now only 1lb above his last win he is certainly weighted to go very close if things pan out for him.
His tendency to miss the start is a slight worry, but it didn’t stop him scoring at Hamilton and at 16/1 he’s too well treated to ignore.
Daily Sport recommended bet: 2pts each-way Boundless Spirit (16/1 Ladbrokes – BOG)
