Racing: Burning Thread has to pay penalty

Including a 6lb penalty for his recent seven-length Bath romp, the Malton raider shoulders a mammoth 10st 2lb in the Watch Racing UK On Sky 432 Handicap.

Etherington said: “We have to take the penalty on the chin for his win but he likes Musselburgh and has course and distance winning form. This looks a harder race but he’s still on a winning mark. He’s won off marks in the mid 90’s and he’s in good form and I’m very happy with him.

“Ideally I’d like more speed in the race as there aren’t any front runners but you can’t have everything.”

Among the rivals facing Burning Thread are Alan Berry-trained Crimson Knot and Tim Easterby’s The Nifty Fox who were first and second in the corresponding race 12 months ago. The former scrambled home by a neck and Berry said: “It was soft when she won last year and her best form has been when she can get her toe in.

“Mind you it was good to firm when she was a close third at Ayr two runs back and she’s off a lower mark than last year but I’m still hoping the rain comes.

“I hope she get her ground as she’s in really good nick and Tom Eaves gets on really well with her.”

Adding spice to a fascinating race is Eric Alston’s Red Baron, twice a course and distance winner last month at the East Lothian venue.

William Haggas does not send many runners to Musselburgh, but has a 30 per cent strike-rate with the handful that have made the journey Newmarket to the Edinburgh circuit in the past five years.

The latest Haggas raider to make the 700-mile round trip is Brown Eyed Honey, who aims to open her account at the second attempt in the British Stallion Studs EBF Maiden Stakes.

The juvenile ran a highly encouraging race when fourth on her racecourse bow on Newmarket’s July course last month and this race looks far less taxing.

True Pleasure has appeared much improved in winning her last two starts and has an excellent chance to complete the hat-trick in the 32Red Handicap. The lightly-raced daughter of Choisir struck twice as a three-year-old in 2010, albeit at a fairly lowly level, but it is fair to assume she has suffered more than her fair share of problems since.

She was not sighted for the next two seasons, but the fact she was brought back at the start of this year suggests trainer James Bethell felt she was worth persevering with.

The six-year-old’s comeback did not get off to the best of starts as she finished well beaten on her first three starts back on the all-weather at Wolverhampton before tailing off in a selling hurdle at Cartmel. However, she suddenly sprang into life with a fair third at Kempton in mid-June and has continued to progress, running fifth at Newcastle before claiming back-to-back triumphs at Carlisle and Ayr.

True Pleasure won with a degree of authority on that latest visit to Scotland and with this step back up in distance likely to suit, she will take some stopping as she turns out just over a week later under a penalty.