Martin Dixon's Saturday tips: 22-1 chance among three picks

I'd be the first to acknowledge this is a competitive race, but Gentleman Bill is a horse I've thought highly of since around this time last year when he made a good impression winning back-to-back hurdle races.

I was highly encouraged by his recent chase debut at Aintree where he jumped well, and travelled with real gusto for a long way before tiring a bit late on, shaping as though the run would bring him forward plenty.

I have taken a positive view of that form and if the winner, Jordan's Cross, had jumped the last at Cheltenham last week, I'm sure he'd have followed up to confirm that opinion. 

Gentleman Bill has been left on the same rating of 123, and I'm expecting him to run in excess of that rating, especially at a track like Haydock, which I think will suit his enthusiastic style perfectly.  

I think the shape of this race lends itself to an each-way bet, with short-priced favourite Kabral Du Mathan taking up the bulk of the market, and a couple of the ten-strong field are well out of the weights.

At the chunky 22-1 available, at the time of writing, I think Tax For Max is worth backing. At his peak with Willie Mullins, he produced some excellent placed efforts in handicaps from ratings in the 130s in Ireland, so from a British rating of 125 now, he's certainly handicapped to be competitive.

There's also been enough promise in his past two outings to suggest he at least retains a fair chunk of that ability. Having missed over two years, it would be understandable if he took a few runs to build back to peak form, and fitness.

However, I thought he blew up, but shaped well, at Newton Abbot in October and was then set a stiff task in the BetMGM Elite Hurdle last time out. That was probably a more tactical race than ideal, too. 

He's up in trip here, which I think he might be ready for, and a return to more patient tactics, off what should be a strong pace, ought to suit. 

Another exceptionally competitive race on this Haydock card, but if my belief that Navajo Indy is a horse crying out for a staying distance is correct, then he'll prove to be a good bet, in my opinion, at a general price of 17-2, at the time of writing. 

In 12 career starts, Tom Symonds' six year-old has never finished out of the first four, so his consistency is clearly a major positive, and several of those efforts have come in very strong handicaps, including when he somehow finished third in the William Hill Hurdle at Newbury in February, despite clearly finding the tempo of that two-mile handicap too strong before galloping on resolutely. 

He was upped in trip at Cheltenham on his return and ran well when second to the progressive French Ship. I just think that this step up to three miles will bring about more progress, plus the current stable form is as good as it's been for several years.