Today’s Horse Racing Tip – 4:45 Newbury

Today’s free horse racing tip runs in the John Sunley Memorial Handicap at 4:45 Newbury. Nine runners are due to go to post for this Class 4, one mile and three furlong race for three-year-olds.

Mark Johnston-trained King’s Proctor is set to rise 9lbs in future races and his drop back to handicaps merits selection for today’s horse racing tip.

The son of Cape Cross won a two-year-old maiden at Nottingham in November and has developed the right way over the winter. The colt finished runner up in his first two races on heavy ground at Windsor and Leicester last month.

His trainer thought of enough of the colt’s potential to enter him in the Listed Dee Stakes at Chester earlier this month where he ran a fine third behind Rostropovich. The good going may have contributed to his improvement and the run certainly made the handicapper sit up and take notice.

Andrew Balding’s Berkshire Royal is another to catch the eye of the handicapper and his mark is due to go up 6lb for his latest effort at Chester. The son of Sir Percy was gelded after a fruitless two-year-old campaign and the procedure seems to have done the trick. He won his first two starts of this season on the all weather and ran a creditable third when switched to turf for a Chester handicap.

Starcaster has finished third on all three career starts and could be among the prize money again today. He shaped well in two runs as a two-year-old and performed well enough when third on Wolverhampton’s all weather when making his reappearance last month. This will be his first run in handicaps and could be thereabouts if showing some improvement.

Night Story began his career as a three-year-old and did well to finish second and first in his first two outings at Lingfield. He disappointed next time out and it is difficult to assess how Charlie Appleby’s gelding will take to his first run on turf.

Alan King’s Caspar The Club makes his debut on turf following three respectable attempts on the all weather. He was narrowly denied at Lingfield last time and the form was given a boost when the winner finished fourth in the Cheshire Oaks. However, a question mark remains about whether he can show similar improvement on the switch to turf.

First Eleven is weighted to finish closer to recent Salisbury conqueror Westbrook Bertie. That was a small field on heavy ground and it’s unknown how their form will translate in today’s conditions

Mandalayan won a minor event at Lingfield in February and is upped in trip after a respectable turf debut at Newmarket last time out. Like the final entry, Delsheer, Jonathan Portman’s gelding will need to show significant improvement to feature here.

The going at Newbury is good-to-firm after watering. The weather forecast is sunny with a light northerly breeze.

It’s no surprise to see Mark Johnston plunge King’s Proctor into a handicap before his mark goes up. Today’s conditions should prove ideal for the colt and the booking of jockey Richard Kingscote suggests the stable means business today.