Ross Millar's Monday tips: My three best bets at Leicester

“Good ground, and small field sizes just don’t provide enough excitement,” they said.

Cheltenham this weekend proved that theory to be very wide of the mark. Rachael Blackmore’s balancing act on Gin On Lime had to be seen to be believed, while the swashbuckling, devil-may-care ride Niall Houlihan gave Editeur Du Gite was excellent by anyone’s standards, even more so given he still claims 5lb.

On Saturday, Ryan Mania showed himself once more to be a big-race rider when capturing the Paddy Power Gold Cup. He had a willing partner in Midnight Shadow, but the ride was pure excellence; he was in the right place at all times and delivered him to each fence perfectly.

It was good to see Lalor return to somewhere near his best in that contest and let’s hope he can build on this performance going forward.

Hats off, too, to Harry Skelton who, in one weekend, encapsulated the life of a jump jockey, hitting the deck three times and riding three winners, including the impressive Nube Negra who travelled and jumped like a high-class horse in the Shloer Chase.

Monday’s action comes from Plumpton and Leicester, where I have three selections.

A mare from a family that trainer Stuart Edmunds knows well, Marsh Wren made a winning debut in a Southwell bumper in March and, on that occasion, she travelled sweetly in a midfield position before making easy progress around the outside of the field as they turned in.

She quickened up nicely and showed strong stamina by drawing further clear all the way to the line.

Back in fourth was Nina The Terrier, who has gone on to win her next three starts, and looks a smart prospect herself.

The sixth-place Global Famenglory also adds substance to the form after finishing second on her first start over hurdles.

Marsh Wren’s sire, Schiaparelli, is a young stallion on the up and already has smart performers Ronald Pump and Indefatigable to his name.

This doesn’t look a strong contest and Marsh Wren has the potential to be above average.

The danger may come from the Dan Skelton-trained Get A Tonic now she steps up in trip, but I don’t think she is in the same class as the selection.

Plenty of horses in this field arrive here with a bit to prove having, in the main, been posting disappointing efforts.

That doesn’t necessarily apply to the Nick Kent- trained Sayar, though, and while he is without a win since 2017, his recent efforts since transferring from Willie Mullins have been promising.

His second at Doncaster in January this year reads particularly well, and he only failed by two lengths to concede 2lb to Dorking Boy – who is now rated 126 - while finishing in front of the 118-rated Sunset West who he was conceding 6lb to.

A poor run at Wetherby followed before he posted another good effort on his final start of the season when finishing second at Worcester.

His second at Doncaster came over a trip three furlongs further than this, so the stiff finish at Leicester may well suit.

With question marks about plenty of his rivals, I would expect Sayar to go very close on his seasonal reappearance.

Progeny of the stallion Scorpion are often referred to as quirky, enigmatic and even unreliable. It would be fair to say that all three could apply to this eight-year-old.

He is definitely blessed with a good level of ability, but he certainly hasn’t won nearly as regularly as could be expected.

After a few sub-par performances, he’s slipped to a mark of 103, which is 10lb below his last winning mark.

I am convinced that stepping up in trip on this stiffer track with slightly easier ground will play to his strengths, given that he often gets outpaced in the middle of his races.

He can, on occasions, be a sloppy jumper and often the mistakes come at a crucial time in the race before he then finishes strongly. There are only four flights of hurdles inside the last mile here, and that might just help his cause.

At a decent each-way price, I think this track and conditions could see him put it all together one more time.