Timeform UK SmartPlays: Friday August 8

We start just outside Edinburgh. Musselburgh's nursery (14:30) arguably centred on Supreme Occasion and at the time of publishing is in flux after her withdrawal. To be quite honest, we'd have preferred her to stay in as we saw Miss Van Gogh as an outstanding danger and better value at the prices they were. Miss Van Gogh's record up to now is a fairly uninspiring none from three, though as you can guess there's more to it than that. She's looked one for nurseries all along, running over inadequate trips in maidens but each effort containing more promise than the last. Now she's upped to seven furlongs entering nurseries, connections presumably share our hope that today is the day Miss Van Gogh gives a truer picture of her worth. 

Brighton is next on the agenda. The 15:40 is a competitive race despite the numbers, with two of the six runners carrying penalties for recent wins. Fire Fighting isn't one of them, yet he's favourite and in our view deserves to be. He's essentially been a disappointment this season after showing useful form as a juvenile. The upshot of that is a much-reduced mark and there were better signs at Glorious Goodwood last week. There Fire Fighting finished third in a race much stronger than this one having been unable to dominate, those tactics having brought out the best in him last year. With the prospect of an uncontested lead and his effectiveness on undulating tracks proven (his best effort last year coming at Epsom) Fire Fighting is shooting downwind if this is indeed the day he comes back to his best.

Finally, we wait for Newmarket's evening card and specifically their final race at 20:20. Go Far doesn't take much picking, though we're surprised he isn't shorter and that's why he's worth waiting for as our final bet. Go Far has been busy in 2014 but has proved progressive throughout, taking his biggest single step forward on his sixteenth start at Yarmouth last week. There's some doubt over whether he's full value for a five-length success there, though it's fair to say that a 6-lb penalty wouldn't have stopped him either way. Now he returns to a course where he has unfinished business (caught in the 'wrong' place on both starts here this year) and we think Go Far can make amends tonight.

Timeform UK SmartPlays

Back Miss Van Gogh @ 3.4549/20 in the 14:30 Musselburgh
Back Fire Fighting @ 3.052/1 in the 15:40 Brighton
Back Go Far @ 5.04/1 in the 20:20 Newmarket