Monday’s Racing Tips – Kyle Of Lochalsh will cut through the soft ground like a hot knife through butter

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I went into Sunday very optimistic with the selections, so to come away empty-handed was a big surprise.

Two of the three runners did themselves justice, with the Nigel Twiston-Davies mare being very laboured and looked in need of the run. Killer Kane gave it a good go but was relatively keen which definitely did help him at the finish, which is a shame for such an experienced horse. Frere D'Armes did Frere D'Armes things. He went through the race nicely but didn't have the dog in him to fight at the finish, which is a recurring theme with the Skelton horse and had to settle for second.

Profit loss stands at -7pts

Rizzel's Tips

War Lord 7/2 – Plumpton 3.55

For a five runner race, this is an interesting Class 3 chase for a Monday afternoon.

I have stuck up two in this race previously, and I'm going to go back in with War Lord who is on a tempting mark and I'm hoping that he can finally get his head back in front. Prince Quali was the other horse I had previously tipped up, and that horse did manage to get us a small victory win and did manage to follow that up, but I'd be concerned about the drying ground and the time away from the track.

War Lord has seen his handicap mark drop drastically since the start of last season which saw him run creditably in the Haldon Cup at Exeter. He has been given every chance by the handicapper, and despite this race looking competitive, this does seem a nice opportunity if he can put it all together. The drying ground should be a plus for him and the form of the Joe Tizzard yard is another positive to take into Plumpton. Joe has already managed to rekindle the fire in other old horses like Copperhead, and I'm hoping he can work his magic with War Lord who now goes back over fences after having two runs over hurdles to kickstart his new jumps season.

The two runs over hurdles this season were decent efforts off big weighs, especially the most recent run at Exeter where he finished 3rd/8 and did keep on at the line. His fitness should primed for today's run and the extra yardage is something which has always looked like it would help him despite his best efforts being over shorter.

Alan King's runner makes his chase debut, and the form is a bit iffy so I was happy enough to leave him out. Neil Mulholland is in tremendous form so you can't fully rule out Sainte Doctor off a 544 day layoff, but it will be a big ask. The Harry Redknapp owned horse will attract support from a low weight and being unexposed as a chaser, but the form doesn't look that strong and today's opposition is a big step up.

Kyle Of Lochalsh 15/8 – Pontefract 4.15 (2pt, all bookmakers other than B365)

I think it's very easy to get drawn into backing younger horses carrying a low weight in races like this, so Oxford Comma will be popular in the market, but I wanted to give Kyle Of Lochalsh a go over an extreme trip on soft ground.

Kyle Of Lochalsh is a very strong stayer and he ran well in some decent handicaps over the summer, including the 2m 4f at Glorious Goodwood when he was staying on late in the race but that came on very quick ground which doesn't appear to be his ideal type of ground. His wins earlier in the season, albeit in weaker company, was on ground which had juice in it, so the ground at Pontefract on soft ground should be more to his liking and I think we can see a totally different horse.

Wise Eagle brings the Class 1 level to the table, but I think he prefers decent ground and Kyle Of Lochalsh proved he can cut it at a similar level when finishing 3rd in a Listed event in France, but over a trip a little too short (14f). Today's trip and course should be perfect for the Hughie Morrison trained runner. He is priced up accordingly and is shorter than ideal for tipping a horse up, but it is a four-runner race, so you can't really expect much more.

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