Ross Millar's free horse racing tips for Musselburgh on Monday

There’s just over a week to go until the big day . . . with the small matter of Christmas Day to get past first!  

This week’s news that Allaho is on course to run against such as Bravemansgame, Geri Colombe and Shishkin in the Ladbrokes King George VI Chase at Kempton on Boxing Day makes the festive highlight a race to relish. 

If that prospect hasn’t got you excited, then surely the racing from Cheltenham on Saturday did with great action including wins for a couple of smaller yards as well as several novices showcasing their talents. 

Are U Wise To That survived a blunder at the second last to win the novice handicap chase in determined fashion, showing significant improvement for returning to a left-handed track and a step up in trip. Corach Rambler won this race in 2021 and, like him, Are U Wise To That looks Ultima Chase bound. However, he’ll need to improve his jumping to be a factor in March. 

A pleasing trend of trainers running highly rated horses in handicaps is starting to emerge this season and Protektorat’s presence in the 3m2f handicap chase certainly added some intrigue.  

It was the five-year old novice, Broadway Boy, who triumphed despite momentarily forgetting how to jump in the third quarter of the race. 

His low head carriage and relentless nature means he’s rapidly gaining a fan club. He reminds me of a previous Nigel Twiston-Davies warrior, Blaklion winner of the RSA Chase (now the Brown Advisory) at the Cheltenham Festival in 2016. Soft ground on the Wednesday at next year’s Festival would certainly make Broadway Boy a significant player. 

The feature race of the day, The Virgin Bet December Gold Cup, went the way of Fugitif who got up in the dying strides under Gavin Sheehan to give local trainer Richard Hobson a first win at this track. 

At the top of the hill, it looked like Fugitif, who already had three second place efforts at this track to his name, might again be booked for minor honours as Bryony Frost appeared to have judged her fractions to perfection on Il Ridoto and held a commanding lead. 

A slow jump two from home by the leader checked his momentum and as the giant Fugitif hit the rising ground he clawed back the deficit with a powerful finish. Bioth Gavin Sheehan, on the winner, and Frost excelled. 

Winning connections lit up the Prestbury Park winner’s enclosure and my social media feed confirms that, much like their horse, that they stay the trip well, as the Gold Cup itself enjoyed a tour of the Cheltenham nightlife well into the early hours! 

The Racing TV cameras are at Musselburgh on Monday. I have three selections for you. 

This Nick Alexander-trained mare was away from the track for 19 months before returning at Carlisle in October. She was evidently pleased to be back racing as she raced with fierce exuberance for much of the race. A combination of this enthusiasm, a lack of race fitness and the testing conditions will have contributed to her weakening, and she was eventually pulled up. 

She holds good course form - when finishing a neck second here last March - and is now 7lb lower. She’s back down to her last winning mark and Bruce Lynn takes off a a further 3lb. 

With the benefit of a run and return to an easy track on less testing ground, she can land this contest. 

After a quiet start to the season, Donald McCain now seems to have his team in excellent order. 

Copper Fox reverts to hurdles, having been chasing on his past five starts. While he isn’t a bad jumper, I would suggest he isn’t the most natural either so a return to the smaller obstacles is surely a positive move. 

He’s also unexposed over this trip in this discipline as when previously hurdling he was exclusively campaigned at 2m. His chasing efforts show he has stamina for this trip and this looks a smart piece of placing by McCain. 

The softer ground is the one question mark given he’s never raced on anything slower than good to soft but as a son of Black Sam Bellamy, out of a Manduro mare, there are grounds for optimism. 

The second start after a wind-op is often when we see the most improvement from a horse and I hope that’s the case here. 

It wasn’t until his 20th start that Dr Shirocco was able to shed his maiden tag, with that win coming on his final start of last season. 

He returned at this track last month and made it two wins on the bounce, staying on well in the closing stages over 2m 4f and looking very much like a horse belatedly getting to grips with his job. 

A 3lb rise for that win looks like a generous, not least because the runner-up and the fourth ran well on their next starts. 

This step up in trip can suit the former point-point winner and at a track he clearly likes he can stay on a roll.