Monday’s Racing Tips – Front runner Garden Oasis could be a hard nut to crack at Ripon

This tip has expired. Please check our free horse racing tips section of the website to find the most up to date.

Bullion Boss was a winner for Rizzel with his sole selection of the day after Elim was unfortunately a non-runner at Ayr. The winning margin wasn't as big as Rizzel expected, but Conor Rabbit kept calm and delivered his mount with a winning run at the right time.

I went against the odds on favourite Stratusnine and it didn't pay off with my selection Intrusively going down by half a length as the two battled to the line. Own Accord had to be switched out for a run but found nothing in the final furlong to trouble those in front.

As things stand we are -9.5pts for July. Gambling is a long-term game, so there's still plenty of time to change that.

Cairnzy's Tips

Garden Oasis 3/1 – Ripon 7.25

This is an interesting class 5 event, with several coming here with solid claims, particularly those at the head of the market such as Havanna Prince who seeks a hat trick, and Makalu who also arrives in good form.

I decided to take them both on with Garden Oasis, who may be the oldest horse in the contest, however, also arrives here on the back of some solid efforts.

My selection is no shy horse to Ripon, and he tends to run well at the track, having won here five times already throughout his career. He runs here at a low mark of 71, which is only 3lb higher than when winning recently in June over this same C&D. Garden Oasis was rated in the low 90s in his peek, although as he has gotten older his form as expected dipped and as a result has fallen down the weights.

Garden Oasis has been in good form this season, with form figures of 43132 since returning from a 223-day break. In his most recent run at Ripon, he was sent up in trip to a mile and a quarter which saw him finish just under 2L behind the eventual winner Up The Jazz. His stamina didn't hold out on that occasion and this step back to mile looks the correct move by connections.

My selection's most recent run was at Carlisle over the mile, he finished second behind Karl Burkes's Barley, who went on to finish second in a class four event, so the form of that run looks okay. Garden Oasis more times than most is ridden prominitely and if given his way out in front he could be a tough nut to crack.

Sea King 7/4 – Ayr 4.05

My final selection for Monday's racing is Sea King, who faced stiff competition during the Duke of Edinburgh Stakes at Royal Ascot last month and can be easily forgiven despite finishing down the field in that race. However, if you draw a line through the Royal Ascot outing and go solely based on his performance at Ripon in his preceding race then you'd have to say he comes here with a solid chance.

My selection showed a great attitude during the outing at Ripon, where he encountered traffic problems inside the final couple of furlongs. He had to be switched for a clear run around a furlong out and once in the clear, he powered through the field to get up close home and win in the final strides by a half-length margin.

Sea King is only up 2 lb since that Ripon victory and I'd be surprised if he was done progressing. Connections have also gone for the blinkers for this contest which will hopefully ease out that little bit more from him.

The main danger looks to be the Charlie Johnson-trained Struth who also ran in the same race as Sea King at Royal Ascot, finishing two positions behind my selection on that occasion. He too doesn't look like a horse who is done progressing, however, his form prior doesn't read as well as that of Sea King's and I feel he has a bit to find with my selection.

Rizzel's Tips

I Shut That d'Or 14/1 EW – Worcester 4.50

I always like to look at the jumps cards, even in the summer (if you can say we've had a summer so far with the horrendous weather), as I prefer the jumps to the flat and I think you can still find some good bets in these poor cards. It looks like a tricky day at Worcester, but I feel that the return to hurdles come bring I Shut That d'Or back to form.

This race is actually a very competitive Class 5 handicap hurdle race, with a fair few horses coming into the race in good form. I try and avoid horses who aren't in great form as you are only as good as your last race, but there is an exception for I Shut That d'Or as he has been competing over fences for the last twelve months, and if you look back to his hurdles form before he went chasing, it stacks up well in this Class 5 race. For whatever reason, connections were very hungry to go chasing as soon as possible with this horse, but it didn't go to plan. However, he is a horse who has shown ability for the smaller obstacles, shown by winning at Wincanton in a novice hurdle race in January of last year. Novice races are obviously very different to handicaps, but he won that race in good style and the form looks decent. The runner-up was an odds-on shot and had previously won over hurdles and was given an opening handicap mark of 123, which saw him finish 4th on handicap debut the time after being beaten by my selection. The fourth has since won three times in handicaps and is now rated 116. That win at Wincanton was his first attempt at 2m 5f, and he clearly enjoyed that step up in trip when previously he had been racing over 2m. He was then pitched into a very good Class 3 handicap at Sandown where his jumping let him down that day, but he still put in a performance worthy of an RPR of 117, against horses ahead of the handicapper. Due to his poor runs over fences, his handicap mark over hurdles has also dropped, and he has come down from 120 to 102, so the handicapper has given him every chance of bouncing back to form in this sphere.

The Skelton horse is short enough in the market based on what she has achieved. She has done her winning in mares' races, and is dropping back in trip, which I'm not sure she'll enjoy, as well as carrying 12st which makes life difficult against the boys. Mactavish is a horse who has been running well and he managed to win under different tactics over today's C&D, so he is up there with being a main player. I'd recommend watching the market on Esperti and Danny's Friend, as any major movements would suggest they are in with a chance.

Venture Capital 8/1 – Ayr 2.55

Venture Capital is the interesting horse in this Class 3 race as he is dropping back in trip to 6f after being campaigned over slightly further for the most of his career to date.

I can see why Kevin Ryan and connections have kept Venture Capital to 7f and above as he has won twice at Newcastle at that distance, but since moving out of juvenile company, he has struggled to improve at that trip and it looks like a drop in trip is worth a try based on how he has been running. His first run of the season can be ignored, but the following two have seen him fall out of contention in the final furlong or so, looking like he doesn't have the gas tank for the 7f which he was getting away with when he was a juvenile. He is by Washington DC who was a 5f sprinter, so it's not a great surprise that the drop in trip has been the decision as this lad has shown good speed in his career so far, as he did at Newmarket when they raced prominently with him, but it's his finishing kick which has been lacking, as well as not really settling, so a drop to a sprint trip should allow him to settle better and see his race out.

The other horses in this race are in decent form, the majority of them have raced against each other in recent times and if they haven't, then they share a form line which can be compared to. Winter Crown is probably the one who deserves to be favourite as the winner of his last race has won twice since and the run behind Dakota Gold was a decent effort, but I just get the feeling an unexposed horse at this trip could surpass him.

Horse Racing Tips

🔗 Share Your Horse Racing Tips on Social Media