Musselburgh tips: Mosalim making the trek from Newmarket to win

Mosalim has to concede weight to all his rivals in the Weatherby’s Bank Foreign Exchange Handicap (3.40) on Friday, but looks set to collect the cash after making a successful return to action recently.

The gelding cost 100,000 guineas as a yearling and showed promise last year, finishing third on his debut at Yarmouth in June and then running with credit although unplaced at Newbury. Gelded during the winter, he came back from a break of 259 days to score in good style at Chelmsford early last month over this distance when sent off joint favourite. He cruised through the field to lead inside the final furlong and now steps into handicap company.

The official assessor has put him on a mark of 81, but that looks fair. When he scored last month he had two 80-rated rivals four lengths or more behind in third and fifth places. I will be disappointed if he does not go close.

Deep Intrigue was well backed on his debut at Bath and looked like justifying the support until tiring inside the final furlong to finish third and he can recoup the losses in the EBF Novice Stakes (2.10) which opens the programme.

Mark Johnston’s youngster cost 200,000 guineas and the trainer feels that the heavy ground on the Somerset track did not suit his  juvenile. Sounder underfoot conditions tomorrow should be just up his street over the same distance.

Royal Brave won at this corresponding fixture last year and can take the Boogie in the Morning Handicap (2.40) under top weight.

He scored again over this sharp five furlongs last July and three of the gelding’s eight career victories have been gained on this course. He runs off just a pound higher mark than for that latest success this time.

The seven-year-old should be approaching peak fitness after two outings this year already. He reappeared at Newcastle in March after a four-month winter break and although he was beaten ten lengths at the Easter meeting here, he was far from disgraced. He was taking on some very classy sprinters in a non-handicap event in which he was a long way wrong at the weights.

His trainer Rebecca Bastiman has her team in good shape and netted a birthday double at Thirsk last weekend. She can double up again tomorrow with Gone With The Wind in the concluding Western Toyota handicap (5.15).

The gelding missed much of last year through injury, but has come back strongly, registering two victories on the all-weather at Wolverhampton this spring.

Musselburgh selections: 2.10 Deep Intrigue; 2.40 Royal Brave; 3.40 Mosalim; 5.15 Gone With The Wind