Ross Millar: weekend reflections and three bets for Monday

The Winter Millions Weekend from Windsor and Ascot delivered some good performances and some good stories, with no single owner, trainer or jockey dominating proceedings. That is a narrative that I can fully get behind. 

The juvenile hurdling division has been lacking depth this season so unsurprisingly the dazzling performance at Ascot from Lulamba, on his UK debut, has catapulted him to the head of the JCB Triumph Hurdle market. 

It was hard not to be impressed as he jumped and travelled with class and professionalism and was comfortably able to concede a 10lb penalty to the highly rated Flat performer Mondo Man, although that horse raced far too freely. 

It will take a good horse to beat Lulamba at Cheltenham but those now feeling tempted to take the short price might like to remember that at this point last season the 2024 Triumph winner, Majborough, was yet to make his debut for Willie Mullins. 

Additionally, such is the way recency bias works, that East India Dock, appears to have been largely forgotten, so I’d be keen to not get too carried away, for all that I am a real sucker for horses as good looking as Lulamba. 

On Sunday, the honourably consistent Protektorat was comfortably able to reverse the form of the Peterborough Chase with Djelo as he ran out a comfortable winner of the Fleur De Lys Chase at Windsor. 

His supporters would have been confident throughout. From limited evidence it appears that Windsor is a track that suits front-runners so when Harry Skelton was smartly away it was a case of job half done. 

The field did close up on the sharp bend after the winning post, but he quickly opened up a healthy lead again with the only worrying moment coming when Harry Skelton was arguably a little too cautious to the second last. 

He’s a smart performer and the Skelton team have clearly figured out that this trip and regular runs suit him best. That said, this isn’t a form line I’ll be putting too much weight on. 

I’m a huge fan of runner-up Djelo, but his trainer, Venetia Williams, is enduring a slow month with just two winners on the board and a number of her horses have failed to fire, including Royale Pagaille at Haydock on Saturday. 

I’m confident this was not the real Djelo and provided the Williams team can regain some form heading into the spring he’s still a horse that I’ll be keen to side with.  

Trainer Robbie Llewellyn made waves last season, firing in plenty of winners. This term has been harder because, with concerns over the health of the yard, he was only able to send out a smattering of runners in the early part of the campaign 

It was no doubt a tough decision to have to make but one that should boost his already growing reputation.  

That patience had already been rewarded with a good number of winners in the past month and a healthy 29% strike rate 

But the win of Titan Discovery at Windsor on Sunday was ample reward for a job well done. The son of Pether’s Moon was having just his second start of the season and got up in the shadows of the post under Liam Harrison. 

This was a career best on his first start at three miles and I’m not sure the track fully played to his strengths; he is a horse worth following over these trips on slow ground. 

On Monday the Racing TV cameras are at Ayr and Warwick. I have selections at both tracks. 

Several yards have dropped in and out of form this season this season. However, that is not true of the Jamie Snowden team who remain in good order, currently operating at a 31% strike rate. 

Admiral Stewart looked classy on his hurdling debut at Ffos Las. Over a trip of two miles he made all the running and impressed with his well measured jumping, before powering clear in the closing stages. 

He’s clearly held in high regard as he was pitched into grade two company on his next start at Sandown. Upped in trip to 2m4f he helped cut out the pace, but in a race that developed into a slog he paid the price for those early efforts and faded on the home straight before pulling up. 

He is back in much calmer waters here and crucially drops back in trip to two miles. He has to concede a penalty to a couple of rivals that have shown potential, but I fancy he will have too much class for them. 

Leader In The Park will be a popular choice here, but I have not been fully convinced by his jumping on either of his two chase starts, including when making a dramatic error at the last when scrambling home at Ascot on his latest start. 

The line of fences down the back at Warwick will exploit a jumping deficiency in any horse so he will need to be at his best. The yard form is also a minor concern with just one winner coming from Ben Pauling’s last 18  runners. 

Of course, I am taking a leap of faith that my selection Southoftheborder will master this jumping test on his chase debut, but to my mind he could be a well handicapped horse. 

On his first start last season he looked a horse with plenty of talent as he readily brushed aside the 126-rated Spirit’s Bay over two miles at Sandown. 

He was beaten before unseating on his next start again at Sandown but this time over half-a-mile further on heavy ground and in much deeper company before finishing his truncated season with a slightly tame effort when runner up to Ballybentragh, again at Sandown and back at two miles, although that rival is now rated 127 and was in receipt of 10lb. 

A big strong athletic horse, it could be that fences improve him significantly. This trip on a better surface might also give him optimal conditions. 

He does come with risks attached but a mark of 126 could potentially be lenient and, with concerns over the favourite, I am prepared to take my chance. 

He has already featured in this column earlier this season when I fancied him to make a winning seasonal return at Kelso. In truth I knew my fate before the off as he was markedly weak in the market and so it proved. From a patient ride he did briefly look to be getting involved on the home turn before his effort wilted up the Kelso hill. 

I’m confident that he is better than he showed there and with race fitness behind him he should be a different proposition on his second start. 

Last season he had shown a strong tendency to race keenly so while the result at Kelso did not go my way, I was heartened to see that he looked a more mature and settled horse. 

His form with Choose A Copper, rated 120 and with Eloi Du Puy rated 113 from Kelso last season strongly suggest that he is better than his current mark of 122. 

Connections swerved two potential engagements at Haydock this weekend, so they clearly feel this is a winnable race. He can land this before progressing to bigger and better things.