Ross Millar's best bets for Monday: Raider can strike again

Please, please, please Mr Henderson, Mr McManus and Mr McCoy, aim Champ at the Stayers hurdle!

As I mentioned last week, I considered that to be the most sensible target for a horse who clearly has his issues, and, after his fine display at Ascot on Saturday he would look a prime contender if they do choose to stay over the smaller obstacles.

I actually passed him over when trying to find a selection for the Long Walk Hurdle, reasoning that as a keen sort on his first run back, over three miles, he might just be vulnerable in the closing stages.

He raced enthusiastically but his class and stamina saw him comfortably home, and with this run under his belt it’s feasible to think there is yet more to come.

Time will tell but it looked a high-class renewal, despite the sad absence of Buzz because of injury. Finger’s crossed he makes a full recovery.

The betting market spoke very favourably for L’Homme Presse ahead of the Graduation Chase at Ascot and he duly won in emphatic fashion. The fall of Pencilfulloflead made his job easier but he was impressive all the same, and given he jumped consistently to his left I think he has plenty more to offer going back in that direction.

His jockey, Charlie Deutsch, has few equals over fences and his frugal use of the whip puts him high on my list of favourite jockeys.

In the Tommy Whittle Chase at Haydock, Remastered delivered a timely reminder in making assumptions about how a race might have panned out “but for falling”. Like many, I was very confident that he would have gone very close in The Ladbrokes Trophy had he stayed on his feet, yet his weak finish at Haydock, having travelled and jumped beautifully, would suggest that may not have been the case.

Monday’s racing comes from Lingfield and Musselburgh, I have four selection across both cards.

It feels as if he’s been around for ever, yet he is still only a seven-year-old. While he has snippets of decent form on good ground, he is far better when the ground becomes soft and heavy.

Having previously climbed to an official rating as high as 150, he is now down to a far more realistic mark of 132. This is certainly a very workable mark, as he demonstrated over fences at Ascot on his penultimate start, where he was cruelly headed in the final stride, having idled badly after the final fence.

Elham Valley and Wicked West usually race prominently, which will hopefully allow his jockey Chester Williams to patiently smuggle him into the race.

Williams is a jockey I would ordinarily have some concern over, but there is no denying his present strike rate (33% wins to rides) is impressive, and as with any sportsperson these wins have clearly boosted his confidence.

I’ve always felt the “back Venetia’s on heavy ground” theory was more than a little misleading, and to a lesser degree a bit disparaging to her talents as a trainer.

However, Galop De Chase certainly looks as if he will relish the testing underfoot conditions, having shown good form in France under similar conditions.

A mark of 112 does not appear overly harsh and I’d expect him to go close for a yard that does exceptionally well with their French recruits.

I opposed him on his last start at Ayr, where I took the view that his previous win at Bangor had been far removed from his general level of form. However, his easy win at Ayr proved that concern to be groundless.

The way he galloped strongly to the line at Ayr over 2m4f, coupled with the fact he is a winner of a point to point, would leave me optimistic that this step up in trip will help him find the required improvement to win again off this 7lb higher mark.

The form of his previous win at Bangor has worked out exceptionally well with both the second and third from that race winning on their next starts, while the third horse from the Ayr race gave substance to the form by finishing second on his next start.

Lucinda Russell has her string in fine form and I see no reason why this progressive gelding cannot complete his hat-rick.

Fakenham is by some distance the track that trainer Lucy Wadham has her best strike rate at, so it’s of interest that she missed the Sunday meeting there (which contained a suitable race) to bring this daughter of Walk In The Park here instead.

Little Lights’ two standout pieces of form have come on soft and heavy ground, after which she found herself on a lofty official mark of 123. After a series of sub-par runs on ground that would have been quicker than ideal, she has now dropped to a rating 19lb below her last winning mark and crucially now gets back on heavy ground that is sure to suit her well.

Wadham has been in excellent form this season and I fully expect Little Light to add one more to her yearly total.