Monday tips: bets for on the beach at Laytown and more

Do you reckon should be described as a turf course, or an all-weather course? 

It’s neither, of course. It’s a beach. But racing’s rulers must determine whether it should fall under the turf banner or the all-weather umbrella because horses can have different ratings for each surface. 

My inclination is that it’s more all-weather than turf, but the men and women at the top don’t see it that way. So, the horses in action at the meeting will be running off their turf ratings. 

That’s great news for Dream Today, who ran well off a mark of 86 on the all-weather on his latest start but is rated 73 on soil. It’s clear he’s better on artificial surfaces – and that he also loves his days at the beach. 

The nine-year-old won in tidy style at Laytown 12 months ago off a mark of 74, having tanked along when scoring off 80 the previous year. 

Dream Today returns for his hat-trick bid off a mark of 73, having run better than for some while at Dundalk on his latest start when having his first start for Jack Davison. 

He might be in a new stable but Davison is sticking with a formulae that has worked in the past by giving Dream Today a couple of months off and whipping off his usual cheekpieces.  His regular rider, Cian MacRedmond, is also retained. 

One moment Joseph O’Brien is celebrating success at the Irish Champion Festival, and the next he’s searching for his flip-flops and shorts to saddle one at Laytown. 

He’s among an elite group to have ridden and trained a winner at the meeting. As a jockey, he guided home Sister Slew for Gordon Elliott ten years ago. And 12 months ago, he struck as a trainer with Even money favourite Vega Magnifico. 

Jeaniemacaroney is his sole runner this year and this looks a good opportunity for the four-year-old filly to win for the first time on the level. 

She’s one of her stable’s lesser lights but has been running consistently on the Flat and over hurdles, winning over Jumps at Roscommon in July. 

The 7f trip will be something of a novelty, given she usually races over a couple of furlongs further, but she’s usually swiftly into stride and it wouldn’t be a great surprise if she bossed some modest opposition. 

Between them, the whole field have run 88 times on the Flat without managing a success. The Gavin Cromwell-trained If You Let Me, who at least has winning form over hurdles, is feared most. 

This mile handicap looks competitive and should be worth following over the weeks ahead. 

You can make claims for several in-form runners but the one who stands out is the Clive Cox-trained Midnight Drive. 

She was returning from almost four months off when a keeping-on third at Salisbury last time, being beaten just a length and faring best of those who tried to pounce from off an average pace. The raceiQ sectionals show she was much the fastest over the final two furlongs. 

Before that, she had won twice over course and distance in what were her first handicaps, having had three qualifying runs over shorter. 

Midnight Drive runs off the same mark as at Salisbury, is entitled to be sharper for that latest eye-catching run and returns to a track that clearly suits her. 

She’s also entered in a 0-68 at Kempton on Friday, so the door is open for her to run under a penalty in a lower-grade event. But let’s see how Monday goes first.