Lucky 15 Tips: The champ hopefully doesn’t leave Nottingham empty-handed

Very pleasant midweek meet at Nottingham on Wednesday, and their six-race card kicks in at 14:48. Ideal vehicle for our daily Lucky 15 tipping piece.

The champ Oisin Murphy is here and as I write he's got five booked rides. Betfred Oaks/Derby weekend is nearly upon us, but in the meantime - enjoy! 

Horse Racing odds

14:48 - Menhaal @ 7/4

A 6f novice for two-year-olds to start us off, and a selection sporting the famous Shadwell Estate silks of Nashwan and company (what a Derby winner he was by the way, as we're in Epsom week. I watched him sluice up in a bar in Zante. Happy days)!

Menhaal is a son of top sprinter Minzaal, who like the selection was trained by Owen Burrows. He's had one run so far, a Newbury maiden at this trip 19 days ago and after starting slowly and meeting with some interference he was beaten 5.5l.

I'd say connections would have been entirely satisfied with that and his sire won at the second time of asking, so I'm hoping history will repeat in the East Midlands on Wednesday afternoon.

15:18 - Senorita Bonita @ 11/8

Youngsters are to the fore once again, maiden fillies this time, and over the minimum 5f trip.

Of several among these two-year-olds who have yet to face the starter is our fancy Senorita Bonita, a daughter of Starspangledbanner out of a Ruler Of The World mare.

Beautifully bred then with both speed and stamina influences, she'll surely appreciate further soon enough. This is a stiff test though on this track and she should on breeding be finishing off with power and purpose at the finish.

Simon & Ed Crisford train, and there's an eye-catching jockey booking in the form of champion Oisin Murphy. Should be very informative and I wonder if we've any Royal Ascot fillies about to show their hand?

15:48 - Lillie Margot @ 5/1

Three-year-old fillies go 1m 0.5f in a Class 5 handicap.

This looks tight and I'm looking for a value play with Lillie Margot, a daughter of Kameko out of a dam by an Epsom Derby winner. She's trained by Jedd O'Keefe in North Yorkshire and Jack Garrity has the riding assignment.

The selection is yet to score but has had just the four starts, the best of which rather beautifully was here 25 days ago in a similar heat when denied by just 1.25l.

She's able to run off the same mark, 68, and this might just be the day when she gets her head in front.

16:18 - Kasgani @ 5/2

Another Class 5 handicap, this time at 10f, for older horses.

Kasgani is a four-year-old Sea The Stars gelding out of a Rock Of Gibraltar mare. Two absolutely magnificent racehorses right there from page one of any retrospective featuring champions of the last 25 years.

Our pick began life with Dermot Weld in County Kildare and had five pretty ordinary runs without success before joining Declan Carroll in mid-April.

Making his debut for new connections (previously he raced in the colours of the executors of the late His Highness the Aga Khan) he ran very well in a race here of this nature 46 days ago and went down by just 1.5l.

Unfortunately the assessor was suitably impressed enough to hike him up 3lb to a mark of 72, but claimer Zak Wheatley, on board last time, does reduce that by the same amount.

Zak claimed last time too, so the horse must improve a smidge to prevail perhaps, but there's every hope in that regard as he gets used to his new surroundings and Declan gets to know more about his newly-acquired charge.

He's sure to have latent talent, being an ex-Weld/Aga Khan inmate, and has a cracking chance in my book.

If all four of our selections won, today's notional 50p win Lucky 15, at the prices indicated (they can of course fluctuate), would return around £198 for a £7.50 total stake. If you can improve upon our selections (of course you can) - then go for it!