Racing tips: Abate looks ridiculously well-handicapped with the 7lb claimer on board

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Croachill didn't settle in the first-time blinkers, which didn't help her chances of winning. She was travelling the best through the race, but her high head carriage and lack of willingness to win didn't help either, as she went down the outside and didn't pick up to get close enough to the two ahead of her. If she learns to settle she is well-handicapped, and maybe she is worth running in big fields so she can get some cover to help her relax.

Hamilton 2:20 – Abate 5/2 (2pt Bet365)

Hamilton has to be one of my favourite tracks to have a bet at, I'm not sure why but over the years I've had a decent strike rate there, so whenever there is an opportunity to have a selection there, I will.

This race is all about Abate and whether he'll bounce back to form like he usually does around this time of year. He likes to strike when the ground is quick, but generally over 6f, his mark normally takes a dip towards the back end of the year and over the winter and that has him spot on to land a race like this. He is on a very winnable mark of 75, which is 68 as Mia Nicholls takes off 7lbs. I'm not going to lie, I've not seen Mia ride, but she has 5 wins from 29 rides this year, which gives me the impression she is good value for her claim, and when she's already sat on a well-handicapped horse like Abate, it looks like a good combination.

I mentioned how he does most of his winning and running over 6f, that doesn't bother me as Hamilton is a very stiff uphill track which catches out a lot of horses who lack the stamina, so this trip today will be fine as we know he has the stamina for an extra furlong.

Hamilton 2:50 – Lieutenant Rascal 15/8 (2pt Bet365)

It's always a bit iffy going for 2yo's in races like this, as you have the unknown factor for many and the ones who haven't shown a great level of ability can suddenly sprout wings and win, but I think it's of notice that George Scott sends Lieutenant Rascal up to Scotland.

George Scott is 4/5 with his 2yo's at this track, which is a ridiculously good strike rate, albeit a small sample size. From the form on offer, this doesn't look like a strong race, and my horse ran well last time out behind a Kevin Ryan newcomer, which isn't a bad thing by any means as Kevin usually has a lot of above-average 2yo's. George has reached for the first-time blinkers, which should hopefully help eke out a bit of improvement and though Paul Mulrennan isn't my flavour of the year, with him giving me some poor rides, mainly getting the horses blocked in, I'd still see it as a decent booking as he is 3/10 when riding for the yard.

Beverley 3:40 – Bobby's Blessing 13/2 (1pt Bet365)

Unlike Hamilton, Beverley is probably one of my least favourite tracks to have a bet at, but I think Bobby's Blessing is worth a few quid on debut for the Charlie Johnston yard.

I think that backing 4yo's in novice/maiden races can be a good angle, especially when the form shown by the others isn't bulletproof. Saeed Bin Suroor is one of the better ones who places his horses very well when taking on the younger horses, but I think the pedigree and the jockey booking of Bobby's Blessing suggest that he could be well up to it on debut.

He is a half-brother to Atlanta's Bay who was a very useful handicap sprinter for David Menuisier, reaching ratings in the 90s and winning some decent prizes along the way. That horse has run well on various types of ground, but today's ground should be fine for my selection, as his sire was good on this type of ground and has produced some good fast ground horses.

Oisin Murphy takes the ride and is 2/7 for Charlie Johnston since he took over the reigns from his father. Oisin had a 19% SR for Mark when he was in charge, and considering their usual rider Franny Norton is riding at Beverley today, it makes you think why is Oisin getting the ride, especially when he's on his pursuit of getting another jockey's championship.

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