We have four outright handicap picks, all at good prices, along with some useful course stats, while the Planet Sport Live Centre is also worth a visit as it's here you'll find the highly informative Musselburgh race card.

Selections:

Johnny Bloom (13.45 Musselburgh)

Goodtimes Badtimes (14.55 Musselburgh)

Ravenscar (15.30 Musselburgh)

Brandy McQueen (16.05 Musselburgh)

Course characteristics

Right-handed virtually flat track with sharp turns, favouring handy types as opposed to gallopers. Circuit 1m3f.

Top trainers with runners

Donald McCain has proved the trainer to follow here over the past five seasons with 35 of his 159 runners (22%) finishing first past the post, for a profit of 24.62 to £1 level-stakes, and he's 10-33 (30%) in the current season.

He has six chances to improve that tally this afternoon: Kayfast Warrior and Collingham (13.45), Kensington Art and Zamond (14.20), Akentrick (14.55) and Latino Fling (15.30).

Top jockeys with rides

Brian Hughes is miles clear of his fellow riders on 60 winners (from 258 rides, 23%) over the same period, and his six rides this afternoon include four for McCain (bar Kayfast Warrior and Kensington Art), along with Garde Des Champs (16.05) and Sawpit Samantha (16.40).

13.45 Musselburgh - Johnny Bloom

The Go North Series, which offers a total of £285,000 in prize-money, spread across three days at Musselburgh, Kelso and Carlisle, gets underway with this 2m1f handicap for juveniles, and we could be in for a surprise result.
While others have far more convincing form claims, and winning form at that, the Brian Ellison-trained Johnny Bloom is surely better than he's shown in three hurdle starts to date.
Big improvement is required but he gets in here off a lowly rating of 97 and as the winner of three of his five starts on Flat turf (on good ground or faster), we know he has ability.
His most recent effort at Kelso 20 days ago on ground softer than ideal hinted at that as, while he finished last of the five runners, he was just four lengths behind the winner and re-opposing Cuban Cigar, whom he meets on 15lb better terms.
Clearly he's benefitted from wind surgery following his pulled up effort at Wetherby in January and his connections are now fitting him with first-time cheekpieces to help sharpen him up, so there are good reasons to believe he can leave his previous efforts in this sphere well behind.

14.55 Musselburgh - Goodtimes Badtimes

Wind surgery has brought about significant improvement from Sandy Thomson's seven-year-old, who has yet to finish outside the top four in five runs over hurdles this season, including when getting off the mark by nine lengths at Ayr in January under today's rider Ryan Mania.
He's been beaten off higher marks since then, admittedly, but he visibly struggled to deal with a strong headwind on the run to the last when finishing second at Kelso last time, having appeared full of running after jumping two out, and it was a similar story at Newcastle previously.
While he might not be totally straightforward, there's no doubting his ability and the tongue-tie he's set to wear for the first time, to go with his usual cheekpieces, might just help him finish his race off better, if indeed his breathing has been the issue.

15.30 Musselburgh - Ravenscar

Philip Kirby's six-year-old mare was all out to win at Newcastle in early February, when holding off the late challenge of the re-opposing Cancan by a neck, but she can be rated a good deal better than her narrow margin of victory.

The four-time all-weather winner looked sure to win well after sauntering into the lead two out but having found herself in front too soon she idled close home and tried to pull herself up on the run-in.
Today's bigger field - 12 are set to go to post for this valuable 2m4f contest - and the prospect of a good pace on should allow her rider Thomas Dowson to hold her up for longer, and she remains nicely treated on a mark of 102, having been as high as 80 on the Flat.

16.05 Musselburgh - Brandy McQueen

Harriet Graham, who mixes training with Clerk of the clerk duties here, can strike in this 2m4f handicap hurdle for novices with the potentially well treated Brandy McQueen, who can bring up a double on the card for Ryan Mania.

The five-year-old cut little ice on his handicap debut at Newcastle 15 days ago, admittedly, but he was easy to back on his first run for two months and that will have teed him up nicely for a crack at what has likely been his target all season.
After finishing tailed off on his hurdles debut at Kelso in November, the son of Yeats shaped much better at this track the following month, keeping on nicely to take third place behind an odds-on and now 130-rated winner.
That was on good to soft ground, which is forecast, and he can be excused a poor subsequent effort at Newcastle on account of heavy conditions. The handicapper has dropped him to what looks a winnable mark of 97 since.