Racing tip of the day

Recommended bets: Tip of the Day

1pt win Shamash in 4.55 Wolverhampton at 11/4 - clearly in good heart and backed for swift compensation following Tuesday defeat

Shamash remains in excellent heart despite an odds-on defeat at Wolverhampton on Tuesday and he should be hard to beat dropping back to a mile and a half at Dunstall Park in the Betway Handicap this afternoon.

The five-year-old has taken a little while to warm to his new surroundings after switching yards from Mick Halford to John McConnell last spring but took advantage of a reduced handicap mark to score over this course and distance under Paul Hanagan a couple of weeks ago.

He landed a bit of a touch that day having been punted into 2/1 and was clearly expected to double up when stepped up two furlongs in trip earlier this week.

It all looked rosy when Hanagan booted the jolly into a clear lead turning for home but his stride beginned to shorten close home and Steve Donohoe expertly guided Monjeni up the gap Hanagan had left on his inside to edge the verdict by half a length.

It still represented a career-best effort from Shamash, who evidently looks to be thriving now, and the drop back to a mile and a half is an obvious move.

There’s possibly a bit more depth to this event but the selection still has further improvement in him, which isn't really something that can be said of main market rival Castilo Del Diablo who's had 40 career starts.

He's undeniably well-handicapped and Jamie Spencer looks a positive booking for David Simock's charge, who has been shaping a bit better in defeat of late, but Shamash is far less exposed and looks well worth another chance off the same mark before the assessor can react to Tuesday's near-miss.

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Posted at 0845 on 30/03/17.