Monday’s Racing Tips – Schalke will enjoy the heavy ground at Haydock

Other than a few of the big horses, Willie Mullins' yard has not been firing on all cylinders over the Christmas period and Cairnzy was on the receiving end of that with Lot Of Joy finishing last in her race. State Man was another poor performer, along with an odds-on defeat in the opener for the Mullins yard, so it's probably best to leave them alone until they're firing in winners at a normal rate.

Rizzel's tips

Schalke 9/4 – Haydock 12.30

Around this time of year, I think you've got to be careful of ignoring Bushypark as they like to go for a win at the back end of the year/start of the new year. He is on a good mark and has to be respected at Haydock on heavy ground, but Schalke stood out to me as the best bet for this race with Ben Smith taking off 8lbs on this horse who is already very well handicapped.

I watched Schalke run on strongly at Bangor earlier this month over slightly shorter, and he looked like a horse who is slowly coming to peak form and I think today's race and conditions look ideal for him. Schalke is a strong stayer, so the long Haydock straight on heavy ground will be perfect for him. Horses can come off the pace at this track and I think this venue will suit the running style of Schalke who is on a very good handicap mark when you take the jockey's claim into consideration. He was a useful handicapper at this level when trained by Rebecca Menzies, shown by reaching a rating of 124 at his best, finishing 4th in a Grade 3 handicap at Sandown. He is running off a mark of 102 today, so I expect a big performance for a yard that has done well to get him back into form.

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