Monday horse racing tips: Three to note at Hamilton

1.05 Hamilton: Slainte Mhath

One of two last-time out winners in this field, she’s still at the right end of the weights and can continue her forward progress.

While she runs at a modest level, this three-year-old filly is lightly-raced in comparison to most of her rivals in this apprentice handicap and she is yet to finish out of the places over six furlongs on ground with ease.

Slainte Mhath struck over course and distance last time despite conditions looking a little lively for her on ground described by Timeform as Good. The Mayson filly should get a preferred softer surface this time – the ground at Hamilton was described as Good to Soft, Soft in places on Saturday morning and the Met Office is forecasting light rain for Sunday evening and heavy showers in the early hours of Monday.

Slainte Mhath has gone up 3lbs for her latest win, but her overall profile in addition to a more favourable surface means the rise looks manageable before taking into account the 5lb claim of Matt Brown.

The jockey has ridden two winners from 29 rides under Rules, but he has ridden mounts at single figures on just eight occasions and has a win and place strike rate of 24 per cent. He also landed the Amateur Jockeys’ Cambridgeshire on his most recent spin last week at 28-1.

4.33 Hamilton: Shahnaz

This likeable filly has run with credit on most of her starts this season and can go close in her bid to make it three from three at Hamilton.

She did best of the prominent runners when second at Pontefract last time and drops down to a class 5 handicap now, while she has beaten 47 of her 54 rivals over a mile on turf this season (87 per cent) when not taking into account her seasonal return (when 100-1) and her fifth at Musselburgh three starts ago when she was turned out just four days after a previous win.

It's perfectly feasible that there is more to come from the three-year-old and her mark of 72 certainly looks manageable, while Laura Coughlan claims 5lb into the bargain and the apprentice knows Shahnaz well, having won twice on her this season and both taking second spot last time.

5.08 Hamilton: Baez

Simple Star holds the most obvious claims here from an unchanged mark when unlucky not to win last time, but that effort came in a first-time tongue strap and that run would be an outlier over the course of his so-far underwhelming Flat career.

A chance is taken on the three-year-old Baez instead in receipt of 7lbs from her older rival despite holding the same official rating of 62, and who has stayed on to good effect on all of her starts over a mile and half in her short handicapping career so far. The stiff uphill finish at Hamilton could help eke out a little more improvement.

This is David Menuisier’s sole runner on the card and it’s more than 430 miles to Hamilton Park from his Pulborough base, and in a race worth £3,618 to the winner. This is only the trainer’s third runner at the track (one winner from two runners) and Baez should be expected to go close.