Tis Marvellous a Group Horse in the Making Can Land Beverley Bullet

Tis Marvellous has put up a number of very good performances this season, looking like a sprinter who could run with those at the top level. The best we have seen from him was last time out at Ascot, when he was dropped in trip to five furlongs and based on that run alone, this horse is a group performer. He goes up from handicap company to a listed race here, but the step up should not phase him and with the track at Beverley looking like it will suit him, he looks to have a great chance of making it back to back big race wins.

The race he won at Ascot was a £60,000 handicap, so it was a top class affair. He tore the field apart, winning decisively by just under three lengths, it really was an eye-catching performance. He won that off a handicap mark of 103, and the handicapper now has him on 111 after that, a big step up but one that was fully deserved. That takes him out of handicap company and this race has come along at exactly the right time to give him a small stepping stone up to group company. This is a better-than-average listed contest, as it always is, but still a perfect chance for this horse to shine once again.

Based on how well he won at Ascot, his handicap rating of 111 is exactly where he should be right now. That puts him five pound or more ahead of his rivals in this race, showing that he is already rated better than what a good listed winner would be. He can use that to his advantage, and I see him going really close in this race, before going onto bigger and better things towards the end of the season.

The track at Beverley is stiff, with an uphill climb in the home straight and as a strong staying five furlong horse who has run over further in the past, he should love the test that this brings. We often see sprinters who can run over six furlongs excel over a stiff five like the one we have here, and with Ascot offering a similarly stiff test, he has proven form on something that should work out roughly the same.

It wasn’t just his last run that caught the eye, he was second in the Wokingham before that at the Royal meeting, which is probably the best and most competitive six furlong handicap we have in the calendar, so that was a great run. He’s also shown solid form at Goodwood and earlier in the year he ran very respectably behind Invincible Army in a Doncaster listed contest.

There is plenty behind the last run to like, and plenty going for this horse. This is a good race for the grade, but don’t let that put you off, I have Tis Marvellous being well above this grade eventually, this is just a stepping stone onto bigger and better things later down the line.

I’m backing Tis Marvellous to win the feature race at Beverley on Saturday, the Beverley Bullet.