After what has been a torrid time of things, it was good to get a couple of winners on Monday.
Causeway probably drifted out to the correct price of 9/4, but got the job done under a strong Ryan Moore ride. The horse looks to need further, and might appreciate slower ground.
Copper Knight showed that he still wants to race at the age of twelve. He managed to fend off the late charges. He probably got a tad lucky that a couple didn't get a clear passage, but that's what happens at Beverley.
Esperti didn't manage to round off the day with a win, but he did finish in second spot. I think you could say that Sean Bowen should've been more prominent, and if he got the first jump on the winner, it could've been different. In my opinion, I think the right horse won, and it wouldn't have made a difference.
Hell Hound 9/4 (1.5pt) – Ffos Las 4.18
There are many in this race who look like they are on tough enough handicap marks. There are probably safer options than Hell Hound, but I like the route of taking the progressive, lightly raced horse over ones we know.
I think he will go off the favourite, as a lot of punters share the same opinion as me when trying to find a betting angle for a race. I thought he did little wrong last time out on his first attempt over three miles at Southwell. The form seems okay, as the runner-up finished third in a better quality race on his next start, and he was prominent in the market for the Norfolk National on Monday. He fell in that race, so who knows what would have happened if he hadn't.
The ground is good, and that's the same surface that Hell Hound got the job done on at Southwell. I think quite a few of these need a slower surface, so I don't give a chance to a lot of them.
The Gypsy Davey 11/1 (1pt) – Hereford 5.42
My rogue pick for Tuesday is The Gypsy Davey, who is massively out of form, but does have a love for Hereford.
This horse is 3/3 at this track, and given that he returned with a poor effort in March last year before winning at this track twice in a row, it could be the right time to catch him. The jockey, Mr B T Stone, makes the trip over from Ireland and has already won on this horse before. He takes off a valuable 7lbs, making him quite handicapped.
I do think that this race looks quite strong for the grade, but if my lad were able to bounce back to form, he would be in contention.
Ettore 13/8 (1pt) – Hereford 7.47
When Nicky Henderson and Nico De Boinville combine at the smaller tracks, they usually do very well. For my horse to win, she will have to show something completely different to what we've seen from her first three starts over hurdles, but the track record of Nicky at Hereford swayed me into giving her a chance.
Nicky has a strike rate of 7/11 at Hereford during the 2025/26 season, which has yielded a solid profit. That is a fantastic strike rate, and seeing Nico make the trip for one ride, which is late into the afternoon, she must be showing signs that she is better than her handicap mark.
This race doesn't look the strongest, so they could have found this four-year-old mare a nice opportunity. They could have easily raced against their own age group, which would have been an easier time.
GambleAware