John Ingles provides an overview of the key things to note on the racing front on Monday.
Three points of interest
Flags say Handle With Care at Lingfield
Lingfield’s opener is a competitive six-furlong fillies’ handicap (13:47) with a couple of potential improvers among the three-year-olds. Both Toughly and So Sassy have run only three times and are therefore respected given they have scope to progress further.
But Marco Botti’s filly Handle With Care makes plenty of appeal too. Her trainer has the ‘Hot Trainer’ flag as most of the stable’s runners have run to form this month, including a couple of winners at Wolverhampton in the last ten days.
Handle With Care also has the ‘Horse In Focus’ flag after shaping well on her last start. That came at Kempton earlier in the month when finishing close up on her handicap debut after six months off. Taking a strong hold and needing a bit of time to get organised, she nonetheless finished her race off well to take a never-nearer fourth behind Macedonian, with Toughly back in sixth.
Toughly might prove the pick of these in due course but Handle With Care, who heads the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings as well, looks closer to the finished article at this stage and is taken to emerge on top.
Talented Gallant takes the eye on return to action
The most interesting race on Lingfield’s card is the novice (16:17), also over six furlongs. It looks most likely to concern the four previous winners in the field, who are covered by 7 lb on Timeform ratings and with all four looking open to improvement.
They include Diablo Rojo who was last seen finishing sixth to 2000 Guineas/Derby favourite The Lion In Winter in the Acomb Stakes at York where he shaped better than the bare result after making an impressive debut at Redcar. He’s interesting down in grade and trip, and has had a wind operation since that run in August.
But Andrew Balding’s Gallant looks the one to beat after his win at Kempton last October on his second outing. He won that novice in good style too in a first-time tongue-tie, travelling well and drawing clear in the last half-furlong. The form looks all the better now given what the placed horses have achieved since. The third, So Darn Hot, has won three times since, progressing well and showing useful form in handicaps, while runner-up West Acre has done better still in Dubai this year, winning a couple of Group contests with some smart efforts.
Gallant could therefore be destined for better things himself and can continue his progression, topping the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings here by 2 lb.
Southbank a solid option for interesting trainer/jockey pairing
Newmarket trainer Stuart Williams and promising apprentice Warren Fentiman have had plenty of success individually at Wolverhampton. The 5 lb claimer has a 20% strike rate at the track, with eight winners from 41 rides, and would have returned a level-stakes profit from backing all his mounts.
Fentiman has only ridden for Williams twice before, and the combination was successful as recently as last Friday when Sevensees won at Southwell at 10/1. This time Fentiman rides Southbank for Williams in Wolverhampton’s six-furlong handicap (20:00) where he is one of six course-and-distance winners in the field of ten.
Southbank has a very solid record for an ordinary sprint handicapper and was successful four times on the all-weather in 2024. Since his latest success at Chelmsford in December, Southbank has twice finished runner-up over tonight’s course and distance from slightly higher marks. However, his last run back at Chelmsford can be excused as he was left poorly placed but still finished third behind winner Brunel Charm who made all.
Southbank is taken to get his head back in front here where he comes out top in the Timeform weight-adjusted ratings.
More from Sporting Life
Safer gambling
We are committed in our support of safer gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.
If you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline / GamCare on 0808 8020 133.
Further support and information can be found at begambleaware.org and gamblingtherapy.org.
