Friday Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's three to back include an Elegant Beverley bet

Doncaster, 16:55 - Back Eternal Sunshine @ 11/53.20

1 (6)

Eternal Sunshine

• J: Lauren Young
• T: Jim Goldie
• F: 30-000094

• SBK 13/8
• EXC 2.9

Sprint handicappers' form often comes in cycles and that could well be the case with Eternal Sunshine, who looks up against it on the balance of her efforts this year, but she has dropped to an attractive mark as a consequence and could well be about to hit her straps.

Jim Goldie is a master with this sort and he really got this one firing from mid to late summer onwards last year, where she reeled off a hat-trick of successes, twice at Thirsk before taking the ultra-competitive Portland at this track.

She held her form pretty well after that, finishing a fine third in the Ayr Bronze Cup from a mark of 88, but following a quiet start to 2026, now finds herself down at 82, which is lower than the mark off which she won the Portland.

The selection is now eligible for lesser races such as this (effectively a 0-80 if you take her out), and Lauren Young, who gets on so well with the mare, takes off another handy 5lb.

Eternal Sunshine's recent fourth at Ayr suggested she might just be about to come to herself and she has the tools to make mincemeat of this field if back to her best.

Sandown, 17:15 - Back Ascending Star @ 2/13.00

8 (7)

Ascending Star (Ire)

• J: Callum Rodriguez
• T: Owen Burrows
• F: 33-1

• SBK 13/8
• EXC 1.14

Sandown's Eclipse meeting gets underway on Friday and, while this card perhaps lacks some of the quality that we'll see on Saturday, there are still a trio of listed events, though none of them makes particular appeal from a betting perspective.

The closing handicap does, though, and I'm most interested in Owen Burrows' unexposed three-year-old Ascending Star as he takes on older horses for the first time making his handicap debut.

Trained for his two starts as a juvenile by James Owen, the selection finished third in a strong novice contest at Chester on debut before occupying the same position at Hamilton on his next outing, both of those over 6f.

He made his first start for his new trainer a winning one when stepped up to 7.5f at Lingfield towards the end of May, quickening from the front to turn over the long odds-on favourite Weffaag. There didn't seem any fluke about that and Ascending Star's opening mark of 80 could prove to be very lenient, particularly bearing in mind some of the quality horses that ran in his debut race.

Beverley, 19:02 - Back Elegant Erin @ 13/27.50

2 (6)

Elegant Erin (Ire)

• J: Barry McHugh
• T: Paul Midgley
• F: 114-09063

• SBK 9/2
• EXC 4.2

For the final bet of the day I'm also interested in another very well handicapped sprint mare who runs at Beverley.

Elegant Erin has a fine record at this track and she's another who finds herself on a handy mark having not fully fired so far this term.

Paul Midgley's stalwart may be a nine-year-old now but she showed signs that she retains plenty of ability when third to Paradise Walk at Nottingham last time.

That was her best effort of the season, and you only have to cast your mind back to last September to see she won twice over this C&D before finishing her season with a fine fourth in listed company at Ascot.

I find it hard to believe the selection has regressed so far this season that she isn't capable of winning more handicaps from her current mark of 86, and the handicapper looks to have taken a big chance with her considering she started the year rated 95.

Now read more horse racing columns here