Daryl Carter's Tips: Three Thursday selections with a 9/2 Sandown NAP

• Austrian Theory is ready to strike in the Racing League opener

• Midnight Rumble NAP can score at Sandown

• Dreamrocker has enough in hand to overcome the wide draw

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Today's premier race day is at Chepstow for the Racing League, which offers some competitive action at the unique Welsh venue. It's worth remembering at this course, with the downhill finish, that punters should treat the advertised distances sharper than usual.

The rail is typically favoured at Chepstow on the straight track (trips at 1m or less), and high-drawn numbers edge the ROI at 10% compared to 8% from 5f to 1m. There's not a massive angle in the draw, but being drawn in the middle can prove fatal as horses converge, providing traffic issues as the low-drawn runners cross over, so unless there is a front-runner or a forward goer drawn in the middle of the pack, the advice is to look very high or low.

Best of luck if you're playing the races there this evening.

17:30 Chepstow - Back Austrian Theory @ 7/18.00 1pt

The opening race is interesting. Azahara Palace is 3-3 at this venue and will likely prove popular, but she did have the advantage of a high draw here on her most recent visit, and today, she is drawn lowest of all. Still, it shouldn't be much of an inconvenience to this forward-going filly, but she can hang left, so her jockey, Kevin Stott, will need to be alert, out brightly, and cross over most of the field to get the best out of her.

Dutch Decoy predictably heads the betting following an excellent run at Goodwood six days ago. Still, he had an ideal opportunity on his penultimate start at Newmarket when he dropped in grade for the first time in a long while at a venue he enjoys. He failed to get the job done and is now five pounds higher. Still, his mark is of little relevance, and he can go well, but he is vulnerable unless the race pans out perfectly. Lady Flora used a good opportunity here last time and could have more to offer, but this is a darn bit harder. Youarenotforgiven loves Leicester, where he won last time, but two down-the-field efforts at Chepstow temper enthusiasm.

Austrian Theory--7/18.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook--has been building to a bigger effort for his new handler, Tim Easterby, and stall seven is no death warrant, provided he reverts to prominent tactics. He has been improving steadily this season and turned out quickly from a good effort at Thirsk five days ago, which suggests the time to back him could be now.

The five-year-old has eased in the handicap and now drops into a Class 3 contest for the first time this season outside of his reappearance. He held his form very well in some strong Class 2 handicaps at Newcastle and York before catching the eye on his latest outing.

He ran well at fellow downhill track at Thirsk in the Summer Cup handicap last time, only to be found short of room against the rail. He finished, leaving the impression that he had running left as the winner took the clear outside route with a sustained run and avoided traffic. He would have gone very close to winning that contest, and this is easier on paper.

I expect David Allan to get out and be prominent with the selection, considering how well he finished his latest race - indeed, the last thing he wants is traffic issues again. The selection's big day last year saw him scalp Dutch Decoy at Epsom (another downhill track). He appeals at 4/15.00 or bigger in this less competitive environment.

19:15 Sandown - Back Midnight Rumble @ 9/25.50 1.5pt

I have mentioned more than once that I am keen on Blake when he reappears, as he is exceptionally well-treated. On that same line, I find it impossible to ignore Midnight Rumble - 9/25.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - who chased him home at Sandown last time. The race's speed figure was excellent, and the Alan King horse did nothing wrong but bumped into a smart improver.

He doesn't have an easy task to shed his turf Maiden tag today, but it is only a matter of time, and he at least has similar conditions. He is a horse arriving firmly on the upgrade and one with scope in his low rating of 82 on the latest evidence. Next-time-out winners in third and fourth have boosted the latest Sandown form, and the seventh, who had contributed to a strong gallop, also won next time, and they couldn't lay a glove on the selection or the victor last time.

I expect another improved performance by Midnight Rumble today, who has a very lightly raced profile and looks ready to strike and should get a good gallop to aim at.

It's tough to find faults with Mr Monaco following an excellent run at Newmarket 27 days ago. His time is near, but it may come over a little further than this, and he can be vulnerable to a tactical race. He is fancied for forecast purposes, and Royal Blaze, another on the upgrade, can follow the pair home.

The selection looks ahead of the handicapper, and he appeals at 11/43.75 or bigger.

20:15 Sandown - Back Dreamrocker @ 10/34.33 1pt

The most competitive race of the day. Still, Dreamrocker - 10/34.33 on the Betfair Sportsbook - was engaged to run on Epsom's abandoned card during the week but finds herself dipped into a Class 5 contest in this fixture.

The Ed Walker Filly has been in fine form in recent starts. She was a big eye-catcher from well off the gallop at York back in May before running a remarkable race at Goodwood in an Amateur Jockey Handicap.

However, her latest much-improved Ascot effort last time, which saw her get up late when she had an impossible task, makes her of significant interest. When everything else was pushed along, she waited between rivals and had no luck until the final hour when she still found another gear to deny the in-form Leuven Power.

That marked her down as not only improving but also being ahead of the handicapper, and a four-pound rise, which allows her to drop down in grade, is not enough to stop her. She will need luck and good race riding from Tom Marquand to get the job done from stall 11, but she is undoubtedly a horse to keep on the correct side of.

She should enjoy this stiff finish at Sandown, being a half-sister to the yard's once useful Dreamweaver, who stayed up to 1m6f. There is plenty of upside to her lightly raced profile. There's no denying this is competitive, and dangers are aplenty, so take no shorter than 10/34.33.

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