Horse racing tips: three for Exeter and Huntingdon from Ross Millar

The Flat is back! 

Or is it? 

To me it seems a strange race calendar that has two-year olds racing on testing ground in March only for Flat racing to stutter into life over the next three weeks, all while competing with - and no doubt diluting - the interest in the final weeks of the jumps season. More defined seasons would be a step in the right direction in my book. 

One man eager to see the Flat season under way no doubt is Dylan Cunha, who has enjoyed a strong 18 months since moving to the UK from his native South Africa and yesterday landed the Brocklesby with . The juvenile finished powerfully under to run down early leader Paddy’s Courage before staying on well in the manner of a colt that had been well educated for this target. 

caught my eye back in seventh when showing some good late work. By Mohaather, his pedigree aligned with this performance suggests he’ll be one to follow over six furlongs. 

The main jumps action took place at and Harry Skelton demonstrated how invaluable confidence is for any sportsman. Often guilty of playing his hand too early in a race, he oozed confidence – no doubt buoyed by his fine Cheltenham Festival – and was patience personified when delivering Heltenham with a late run to land the BetVictor Handicap Chase. 

Exeter and Huntingdon host the jumps action live on Racing TV on Monday and I have three selections.

has posted a series of regressive performances of late but, against equally out of form opposition, I’m confident that he can do the business down in Class 5 company for the first time. 

The seven-year-old has plummeted down the weights and, having been beaten just six lengths off a mark of 121 this time last year, he now lines up here off just 103. It may be that he’s simply not the same horse of course, but this is now his second start after a wind operation and his first chance since that procedure to race on some better ground. 

The track should suit – indeed his best run so far this season came when third over this course and distance in November - and of his seven rivals only Stumps Or Slips has managed a win this season. That was back in June and he’s failed to complete in two starts since, and I’d be surprised if connections weren’t using this race as a prep for a summer campaign. 

doesn’t train that many bumper winners nor first-time out winners, so when Midnight Soldier won on racecourse debut in a Fontwell bumper he immediately went into my notebook. 

It’s fair to say that his Deva Racing Syndicate owners have had to be patient as a 710-day break and a switch to followed that debut win, but he made a promising start over hurdles for his new stable when doing best of the rest to finish second behind the high-class . 

Midnight Soldier failed to show as much in his next two starts and he was consequently given a moderate opening mark of 89, but his first start in handicap company was disappointing when weakening very tamely on heavy ground at having travelled strongly. It was reported post-race that he made a respiratory noise and, having been absent since December, I was surprised to see that he hadn’t undergone any surgery to aid his breathing. 

Now, a first-time tongue-tie is added and he returns to better ground, which suggests it was the conditions rather than a physical issue which was at play at . He lines up against a group of moderate and largely out of form rivals and, if finding the tongue-tie a benefit, he is well handicapped off a reduced mark of 84 back on a sounder surface. 

I’m certain this horse that will be rated well into the 130s this time next year. 

first caught my attention when running a massive race on his hurdling debut at Chepstow, where, despite jumping out to his right, he looked set to land the spoils only to fall at the last. He made no such mistake at Ascot when making all the running to beat the now 121-rated by an easy 11 lengths. 

While his two runs this season have been disappointing, he possibly found things happening too quickly for him on good ground around Kempton on seasonal debut and he was then reported to have had an irregular heartbeat when pulled up on his latest start at . 

On his two best pieces of hurdles form he is comfortably better than this mark of 121. His fitness and well-being have to be taken on trust on this return, but given he isn’t likely to want spring ground I’m happy to make the assumption that will have him race ready.