Monday’s Racing Tips – Punters can hammer the bookies at Ayr on Monday

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

We were left with three selections on Sunday as Gregorianna was a non-runner. I managed to land a winner in Matterhorn who still looks ahead of his current mark on the back of that victory yesterday.

Rizzel's two selections ran considerably below par, particularly the Aiden O'Brien runner, who never got involved. Classy Boy was off the bridle quite early and his chances were over before they began.

The current profit and loss for July is -11.045.

Cairnzy's Tips

Hammer The Hammer 2/1 – Ayr 3.05

Only four go to post for this 5f contest as Motawahij has been announced as a non-runner. It may be a small field but it still looks a tricky puzzle to solve. Managing Director who currently shades favouritism has the benefit of an extra run under the belt and has shown signs of ability on his two runs to date, particularly on his most recent outing, which was a much-improved display when finishing third at Beverley a couple of weeks ago. We are also entering the unknown with the two other runners, who are both from respected stables in Robert Cowell and Richard Fahey. They could be anything and any market support overnight and to the off should be looked out for.

The horse I prefer from the four on offer is the Kevin Ryan trained Hammer The Hammer, who I feel brings the best form to the table. If you are a regular follower of the sport you'll know right away how good Kevin Ryan has been doing with his youngsters this season. There were plenty of positives to take from my selections recent debut run at Doncaster. He was easily beaten that day but showed some nice pace throughout the race before fading in the final furlong after not seeing out the trip. He drops down a furlong for this contest which looks like the right move and I fully expect Kevin Ryan's charge to come on for the run.

I had a glance at the form of that particular contest and was pleased to see it read quite well. The third-placed horse Mission Command has since gone on to win at Ripon in easy fashion, while the winner Chancellor looks a real nice prospect and I fully expect that one to be running in decent races in the future.

Braes Of Doune 6/1 – Ayr 4.50

I'll not blabber on with this one, as it's a complete minefield of a race but if there's a horse in the lineup that deserves to get the head in front again then Braes Of Doune is that horse.

I've mentioned before that Jim Goldie has his string in good shape this season and his runner Braes Of Doune has done everything right bar get his head in front. He has hit the frame in three of his four starts this season and can probably count himself unlucky on a few of those outings to not get the win. He ran last week at Ayr, finishing a half-length down in fourth in what was a tightly bunched finish in the end. I think that was a great effort by Braes Of Doune, there wasn't much pace on that day and he had to make his effort from a long way back. He stayed on well down the outside but had he been positioned up with the pace, I think he would have won, or at the very least went very close. He drops down in trip for this contest which I thought was a tad strange but he is able to race off an unchanged mark which makes him a big player in his current form.

Rizzel's Tips

Forcing Bull 3/1 – Cartmel 3.55

As far as Monday racing goes for the summer jumps, this Class 3 handicap chase is a cracking little race for the novices. You can easily make a claim for over half of the runners, but the one I have taken a liking to is the Donald McCain runner, Forcing Bull.

I was on the receiving end of Forcing Bull at Uttoxeter a couple of weeks ago when my selection finished in second spot behind him. I was impressed with how well he jumped on chase debut, and how well he travelled through the race on the testing ground at Uttoxeter. It is going to be soft ground up at Cartmel, so even with him dropping back by two furlongs, that doesn't concern me as the stamina he has will play a key role in this race, especially if he is in front after jumping the last as the run in at Cartmel is one of the longest, if not the longest, on the jumps circuit.

Forcing Bull likes to make the running, which might not be an easy task if they want to repeat that as The Gypsy Davey has also tended to run from the front. Hopefully, Brian Hughes can be sensible about it and if he can't get an easy lead, then he won't press for it and ruin our chances. However, if he does get the lead, I am confident that if his jumping holds up, he could win this as I highly doubt the 4lb rise in the weights he received for his easy success of last time out is going to be anywhere near his ceiling.

The top weight, Lipa K is 2/2 over fences and at the time of getting those wins, he looked like a horse to follow, but despite winning easily last time out, the form doesn't look strong. Curraci Castle is dangerous off his mark as he was ahead of Martator last year at Carlisle off 120 and that horse proved to be very well handicapped, winning three times in a row at the back end of the season.

Ilikedwayurthinkin 2/1 – Cartmel 4.30

Ben Haslam does do very well at Cartmel, with him and JP McManus landing a few gambles at this venue a few times a season. Ilikedwayurthinkin was strongly fancied at this track last time out over this trip, after showing fairly little in all of his previous starts for Ben until the run before at this track as well over hurdles. His handicap mark had dropped to 110 from 132 and it was his first chase start since leaving Gavin Cromwell's stable, and sure enough, he won and won in style.

My selection has to face a different challenge today as the ground is slower than it was when he won at the back end of June, but he has form on soft ground over shorter when trained in Ireland, so I don't have too many concerns about the slower surface. He has gone up 8lbs for his win last time out, which might seem harsh on the face of a 3.25L victory but it was the manner he did it in. Richie McLernon gave him a peach of a ride, but in all fairness, the horse was handicapped to win, but nevertheless he held him up in last spot and the horse jumped perfectly which allowed him to stalk the leader after the last and come there on the bridle, and when Richie woke his mount up he picked up and scooted clear of a horse who had won four of his ten chase starts.

There are some new challengers for Ilikedwayurthinkin, but if he's in the same form as last time out, I struggle to see him being beaten, unless his jumping isn't anywhere near as good as last time out and they hold him up. One bad mistake late into a race, even after travelling well, can ruin your chance if you're being held up as you have to make up a lot of ground.

Horse Racing Tips

🔗 Share Your Horse Racing Tips on Social Media