Newsboy's horse racing selections for Friday's five meetings, including Thirsk nap

MYSTICAL STORM is fancied to get back to winning ways by beating nine opponents for the Vision Windows “A Clear Winner” Handicap (7.10) at Thirsk this evening.

Julie Camacho’s son of Harry Angel came third at Haydock Park and Redcar in two starts as a juvenile in 2024 and also took the bronze medal home from Teesside on his first start of this season at the beginning of May.

Mystical Storm’s disappointing 10th-of-11 finish on handicap debut back at Haydock three weeks later prompted his connections to book my selection in for wind surgery.

READ MORE: Newsboy's horse racing selections for Tuesday's three meetings, including Lingfield nap

READ MORE: Newsboy's horse racing selections for Thursday's five meetings, including Windsor nap

And Ryan Sexton’s mount showed the benefit of the surgeon’s work with a length-and-a-quarter winning margin in a novice stakes at Doncaster on July 10.

Returned to the handicap sphere, Mystical Storm came home fourth of 16 behind Chesneys Charm at York last time, but he did best of the horses with a single-figure draw and is worth backing from an unchanged British Horseracing Authority rating of 77 to double his career tally.

Newbury stages the Listed Sequoia Hair & Spirit St Hugh's Stakes (4.45), in which FLOWERHEAD makes plenty of appeal.

After a fine 100-1 second in Royal Ascot ’s Group 2 Queen Mary Stakes, Charlie Clover’s youngster performed to a similar level when fifth in the Group 3 Princess Margaret Stakes on the King George VI And Queen Elizabeth Stakes undercard back in Berkshire 20 days ago.

The latter contest was over six furlongs and reverting to the minimum trip - and dropping in grade - should produce the desired effect.

Friday's selections
EPSOM
2.05 WHO IS ALICE
2.40 CALENDAR GIRL

3.15 WINGED MESSENGER
3.50 SAN FRANCISCO BAY
4.20 DALMALLY
4.50 MARLAY PARK

YARMOUTH
2.15 CATULLUS
2.50 B ASSOCIATES
3.25 GYPSY NATION
4.00 MEDIA MOGUL
4.35 DIVINE KNIGHT
5.05 AIM FOR THE BULL

NEWBURY
3.05 SUNNY SMILE
3.40 BUTTERFLY BEACH
4.10 BOW ECHO
4.45 FLOWERHEAD (NB)
5.20 SUNSHINE MAG
5.57 NIGHTSINWHITESATIN

NEWMARKET
5.15 EMERALD COAST
5.52 SUHUB
6.25 CANCAN IN THE RAIN
7.00 STERLING KNIGHT
7.30 CHARMING WHISPER
8.00 LIPSINK

THIRSK
5.25 ALAMINOS
6.02 HAADERR
6.35 SOUTH PARADE
7.10 MYSTICAL STORM (NAP)
7.40 CLEAR ANGEL
8.10 ARUNDEL

DOUBLE: MYSTICAL STORM and FLOWERHEAD