Ross Millar's Monday tips plus weekend reflections

The weather continues to disrupt the racing calendar, with even a few of the all-weather cards falling foul to cold temperatures. In an amusing contradiction to the norm, it was Ffos Las that rallied to rescue the jumps racing on Saturday in the UK, a course that often falls victim due to heavy rain, and they were able to get on the right side of the cold snap to provide some enjoyable racing, including the DragonBet Towton Novices' Chase, which relocated from Wetherby.

The winner, Handstands, continued his progression over fences and maintained the good form of the Ben Pauling yard, although I’m not sure this took much winning. Market rival Cherie d’Am weakened tamely turning in and was tailed off when falling three out, the same fence that claimed Saint Davy, as well as the giant Hillcrest.

Saint Davy had shaped promisingly on his chasing debut behind Handstands at Sandown, but was again coming off second best when taking a crashing fall, and in doing so he hampered Hillcrest who deposited Sam Twiston-Davies on the Welsh turf. 

Hillcrest does appear to be walking proof that bigger isn’t always better when it comes to jumping a fence having again failed to impress with his jumping.

The runner-up, Lord Of Thunder, did shape better in a first time-tongue tie and will hopefully build on this improved display, but his official rating of 127 would suggest that Handstands will have to improve again to be competitive in a genuine Grade Two contest.

On Sunday, all eyes were on the return of Salvator Mundi at Punchestown in the Grade Two Sky Bet Club Moscow Flyer Novice Hurdle. A runner-up to Sir Gino at Auteuil on his only start in France, he made his debut for Willie Mullins in last year's JCB Triumph Hurdle before winning effortlessly at Killarney in May, the timing of which meant he remained a novice for this season. 

The two-mile novice hurdle division this season is severely lacking. A win and a dazzling display would surely have seen him catapult into short-priced favouritism for the Supreme in March. Despite winning with a degree of comfort, we were sadly not treated to anything like such a display. 

That said, I think it would be unwise to judge him on this performance, given so much went wrong. Without a run since May, he was clearly happy to be back on course and was notably anxious down at the start. In a race run at little more than a crawl, he pulled hard and didn’t jump well, but those two things come together, and a novice that pulls that hard will invariably not focus on the hurdles in front of them. 

It was so essential for Paul Townend to keep a tight hold of him that it made it impossible for Salvator Mundi to stretch his back in a way that is required for long, ‘scopey’ jumping efforts. 

I view this performance in a positive light. He was positioned too far back off a slow pace yet was still able to quicken past more prominently-positioned rivals, and all this despite barely jumping a hurdle plus undoubtedly racing inefficiently in the early stages. 

Of course, this performance won’t be good enough to win at Cheltenham in March, but he will be guaranteed an honest pace in the Festival curtain-raiser and that gives him every chance of improving significantly. Don’t write him off just yet.

has a strong chance of beating the weather for the Racing TV cameras on Monday, I have three selections there. Best of luck.

He lines up off top weight here, but he is the class horse in the race with some excellent novice hurdle form next to his name. 

He finished last season with two excellent efforts in defeat; firstly, when runner-up to stablemate Champagne Twist in the EBF final at Sandown, and then again over the same course and distance when again runner-up to a well-handicapped rival in Ike Sport. 

It is hard to argue he’s generously handicapped off 132, but at Carlisle on his chasing debut, he shaped like making a far better chaser than hurdler, albeit on limited evidence. He was electric over the first four fences before inexplicably slipping on landing at the next, but it’s hard to suggest he did anything wrong.

This right-handed track and slow ground will suit, as will this trip. He’s had plenty of time to recover from his Carlisle mishap and providing he carries no ill effects, he can land this for his in-form yard.

I’ve been pleased to see the resurgence of Philip Hobbs, in partnership with Johnson White, this season, and the pair are slowly putting together a team of classy young horses. Livin On Luco isn’t a star, but he made a promising chase debut on heavy ground at Newton Abbot in October where he jumped well and stayed on strongly over a trip that would probably be his bare minimum. 

He didn’t fare quite so well next time out at Cheltenham when finishing tailed off, but I’m prepared to forgive that effort. In a race run at generous early fractions on a sound surface, he struggled to handle the early pace and, as a result, his jumping suffered which caused him to readily forfeit track position. 

Slow ground over this trip, and in a race with less depth, will see him to far better effect. His best run as a novice hurdler came at Uttoxeter over the strongest stamina test he's faced, and that form, when beaten just two lengths by the now 127-rated One Big Bang, to who he was conceding 7lb to, suggests he’s still well handicapped off a rating of 122.

He started last season well with two wins at Huntingdon and Chepstow off marks of 115 and 120. However, his next two runs were less impressive, but that did coincide with a loss in the form of the Kim Bailey yard.

His final run of the season showed a step in the right direction as he finished third at Newcastle off a rating of 121, and he was beaten less than six lengths by a pair of talented, and well-handicapped, rivals.

His return at Ludlow this season was disappointing. He raced far too keenly and his jumping lacked fluency before he was perhaps found wanting for fitness on his first start following a 275-day break. The upside to that performance was that he benefitted from a 3lb drop in the handicap, and is down to a far more appealing mark of 117.

This is a race lacking any real depth and if Tom Bellamy, whose enjoying a fine first season as stable jockey, can find a good early rhythm, he could well prove hard to pass.