Racing tips: "You'll do well to find one better-handicapped all year"

We've a cracking card at Navan on Saturday where the local hero, Tiger Roll, makes his first start of the year.

The campaigning of this horse has been utterly baffling since he won at Cheltenham last year, two predictably fruitless trips to Aintree for graded races nevertheless producing two shocking performances. It is hard to know what to make of him at this stage.

He's top-weight in a race in which I've an each-way fancy but, if you want one wager on Saturday, wait until the second-last. Be lucky.

1.40 Navan: Damalisque

I tipped this horse 49 days ago when he was a shade disappointing after travelling well but he's back over the course and distance that suited so much when he hacked up in this race 12 months ago, albeit off 12lb lower.

The stable has a very good record with hurdlers and there's a lot of dead wood here so he appeals each-way.

3.25 Navan: Routine Excellence

You'll do well to find a better-handicapped horse all year.

Due to the annoyance of anomalies, the Irish handicap system was changed in recent years so that horses would not compete over fences off a mark any more than 10lbs lower than his or her hurdles mark, if one had been previously given.

Routine Excellence ran in one point for Colin Bowe and won it, a four-year-old maiden in which Aucunrisque was second. Aucunrisque was last seen winning a novice hurdle at Plumpton earlier this month in a canter.

Routine Excellence was far slower to take to life under Rules, his first five runs producing form of 00000; as such, it was hard for anyone to predict him landing a gamble off a break in a maiden hurdle last month. He won that race well and the easy subsequent win of Bonnie Kellie (who fell at the last) amounts to even more encouragement as to how well-treated he is.

He looks a near-certainty here and generally jumped fine on his handicap chase debut at Downpatrick.