Daryl Carter's Tips: 7/1 Haggas to enhance Thirsk strike rate

• A quiet Wednesday

• Haggas strike rate with two-year-olds at Thirsk taken seriously

• Improver has a good opportunity to strike

After a very high-profile weekend of racing action at York, Newmarket, Chester, and Ascot, naturally, the following week would be expected to be a little less engaging - Wednesday takes the biscuit.

There's very little racing of interest, and laying out any cash playing Class 5 and 6 races at Bath midweek is not my idea of a money-making time, so I immediately pushed that meeting to the back of the priority list.

Thirsk is the standout meeting of the day, but even then, five of the seven races are Class 5 or 6 on what can only be described as a bland Wednesday.

Our recent winning selection, Yazaman 13/82.63, returns to the turf at 16:55 at Thirsk. Yazaman searches for the four-timer but has been off the track for 44 days since racking up the hattrick. That doesn't sit well with me despite him being the most persuasive option in this contest, with the Blinkers retained. He could win but has hardly been missed by the market, and there may have been an issue for connections to halt his excellent run of form. Something is telling me not to get involved at short odds.

I am interested in the 15:22 Thirsk Novice contest over seven furlongs. Three potentially smart horses clash, and all three of Bobby Nennu 5/23.50, Germanic 13/82.63 and Ten Pounds 9/43.25 are last-time-out winners.

It is challenging to choose between them, but it's a race worth following. On the clock, there is a minimal amount to separate Ten Pounds and Germanic, with the former coming out a shade on top of their Newcastle comparison 19 days ago. It's hard to take the latter's run seriously when behind his rival on debut at Newbury, as it was such a step forward from one start to the next for both horses. I will watch with intrigue but have no angle from which to split them.

At Ffos Las, Godsend 4/61.67 at 20:00 was the only horse of interest, having taken a marked step forward to score at Ripon nine days ago. Still, the "Sir Mark Prescott improvers for handicaps" is an edge that has long been saturated in the betting markets, and it's no different here.

13:52 Thirsk - Back Art Design @ 7/18.00 0.5pt e/w

William Haggas' Art Design - 7/18.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook -may be worth a minimal swing on a slow day. She has been green as grass in both outings this year but is slowly getting the hang of things.

The two-year-old has offered glimpses of promise in two outings, and she comes out of a useful Nottingham Novice, won by the smart 93-rated Mr Lightside. She travelled as well as anything in that race but was again clueless under pressure as she was covered up for much of the contest.

The hope is that this downhill track, now stepped up in the distance, will see her travel and hold a prominent striking position before knowing more when asked under pressure at the business end. There is little doubt she has potential and is open to significant improvement on the evidence of her first two runs, so it is worth keeping in the notebook regardless of today's result, with handicaps as an option next.

Tackling an easier surface is a positive, and Tom Marquand's presence suggests she might be ready to score. The yard has an excellent 32% strike rate at Thirsk with their two-year-olds over the years, and the market has treated her as an exposed runner after just two outings rather than as we are, considering her an improver for those runs.

The yard had a similar winner in the same ownership, Art Market, at Sandown recently when he stepped up to six furlongs. Perhaps this is one to catch when heading into handicaps, but this is a winnable opportunity, and further improvement is undoubtedly forthcoming.

Price points are always important, especially with a selection like this one where further improvement is needed to score. Take a small chance at 5/16.00 or bigger, but take no less.

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