RACING: Top tips for Thursday's card at Thurles

Thurles hosts a seven-race National Hunt card on Thursday, with 97 horses declared and €77,000 prize-money on offer.

The first race is at 1.50pm, and the last is at 5.15 - find all the latest odds and tips at MyBettingSites.

15-20mm of rain is forecast, with the ground currently Good to Yielding.

Worth €16,000, the most valuable race of the afternoon is the two-mile seven-furlong Thurles Handicap Hurdle (4.45pm), which has attracted a field of eight.

Robinstown is just about the pick on recent form, posting a few placed efforts in big fields this season, including last month’s Punchestown effort when headed late on. The seven-year-old is slowly creeping up the ratings after this year’s second and third-placed efforts but look the most likely one to have a win in him.

Closely following is Ernie McCracken, who stayed on for second at Gowran Park last month, shaping as though this step up in trip will suit. The first-season five-year-old is unexposed and improvement is likely here.

€280,000 purchase Indiana Jones has had a disastrous last few runs over fences, falling on each occasion. However, he ran third and fourth in Grade Two company over hurdles, and this is likely to be a confidence booster from a fair mark.

Course and distance winner Bay Ambition also enters calculations.

Opening the card at 1.50pm is the extended two-and-a-half-mile Leugh Beginners Chase, with a full field set to jump off.

€52,000 Presenting gelding, Butte Montana, hasn’t raced since July last year but ran well fresh after a six-month break last term and has since joined Mick Winters from across the Irish Sea.

Yabo made a good start to his chase career when finishing second at Fairyhouse in November. He was well-beaten when falling on his last chase run and has since and may be better for his run over hurdles last month.

Explosive Boy ran creditably over two miles on chase debut, and was perhaps unlucky in-running.  He kept on well after being hampered two out and this step up in trip is sure to bring further improvement.

Quarry Lil bumped into a couple on her latest run, but should be all the better for the new trip and lesser opposition.

At 3pm is the two-mile ThurlesRaces.ie Maiden Hurdle, for five-year-olds and up, and looking likely to see another capacity field head to post.

Gordon Elliott’s Showbusiness looks to be the standout performer, having only missed out on place money in one of his five hurdle starts, and losing out by only a neck at Gowran Park in October. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the €75,000 son of Camelot get his head in front in this.

The most likely candidate to stop him is Kings Keeper, who has finished behind some smart performers on all three outings over hurdles.

Thurles selections

1.50pm Butte Montana

2.25pm Good Bye Sam

3.00pm Showbusiness

3.35pm Tohellortoconnacht

4.10pm Mankhool

4.45pm Ernie McCracken

5.15pm Bellaney Lord