Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's best bets on Sunday include 5/1 shot at Thirsk

Nottingham, 16:55 - Back Galaxy Star @ 4/15.00

There are two interesting cards on ITV on Sunday, with Nottingham playing a supporting role to the Sky Bet Sunday Series at Thirsk.

The first bet comes in this 1m 2f fillies' handicap and features one who has had quite an interesting start to her racing career.

Galaxy Star made a winning start last October but in bumpers rather than on the flat but it seems to be in the sphere where her immediate future lies and she also made a winning start under flat rules at Kempton in March. Connections were presumably impressed with what they saw from her there and she was pitched straight into listed company afterwards, running a fine race to finish fourth while not being seen entirely to best effect either.

It's probably fair to say Galaxy Star would have finished a bit closer had things panned out better that day and she now looks poised to take advantage of moving into handicap company for the first time.

The selection does have to shoulder top weight, but useful apprentice Harry Vigors taking off 7lb should be a big help, and this is a marked ease in grade from the race she contested last time.

Thirsk, 18:15 - Back Hermetic E/W @ 5/16.00

A few in this 2m handicap have been re-routed from a similar race that was cancelled at Haydock last week, including Charlie Johnston's Pole Star, who ran really well in a first-time visor to finish third in at Newmarket last time. Not much has run from out of that race yet so the jury is out as to how strong the form is, but a repeat of that effort should see Pole Star go close.

However, my tip from that cancelled Haydock race is also entered here and that is the much less exposed Hermetic, a French import who has only the five starts under his belt and has already been successful in two of them in his homeland.

The Ian Williams-trained four-year-old made his handicap/stable bow at the York Dante meeting and shaped really well in fourth.

That was his first start in 192 days and he looks sure to strip fitter for the run, particularly as he's a big, imposing type who would probably take a bit of getting fit at home. His trainer excels with this type and Hermetic went straight into my notebook on the back of that Knavesmire run.

Thirsk, 18:45 - Back Thaluna @ 9/25.50

The final race of the day is another fascinating fillies' handicap and plenty will be prepared to get stuck into Roger Varian's unbeaten Bintaziza as she bids to bring up the hat-trick on her turf debut. She's looked a good prospect in winning both of her all-weather races today but I'm not convinced there's a great deal of substance to the form and her price of
9/43.25 looks tight enough with the waters being much deeper here.

There are plenty of other fillies in this contest who are open to progression, perhaps most notably Thankfully and Renewal, but the one I want to be with is the William Haggas-trained Thaluna.

The daughter of Zoustar was off the mark on just her second start at York last season and was then thought good enough to contest a listed race on her final start that term and, although not running too badly in a big field, probably found that a bit too much at that stage of her development.

She shaped much better on seasonal/handicap debut at Newmarket last time, going down by less than a length to Velvet Rhythm, who paid the form a handsome compliment when winning again next time while, further back, Paroda Diva was also a subsequent winner.

The form appears to have plenty of substance and I'm happy to row in with Thaluna in the hands of the excellent Danny Tudhope, who rides Thirsk as well as anyone.

Now read more horse racing tips and previews here