Tuesday Racing Tips: Time to shine for Monty’s Star

The Punchestown Festival kicks off on Tuesday and will undoubtedly take centre stage, but there are a further four meetings taking place across the UK. Yarmouth’s seven-race card kicks us off before they go at Nottingham, Brighton, Punchestown and Catterick.

Amongst our Monday fancies is one for trainer James Fanshawe who ran eye-catchingly well before running out of steam on her seasonal debut, and who is likely to put in a stronger finishing effort this time around.

16:25 Yarmouth - Elladonna @ 7/2

This 0-78 looks tricky and there probably isn’t a great deal between the field, so you’ll be on the lookout for an improver.

ELLADONNA is thoroughly unexposed in handicap company and a return to winning ways could be on the cards for James Fanshawe’s filly.

She travelled like the winner for much of the race at Kempton on seasonal debut last time out, before running out of steam on the run-in. The daughter of Belardo, therefore, looks likely to improve significantly for the run.

It surely won’t be long before she’s back in the winners’ enclosure on the evidence of her victory in her first handicap start at Kempton in December. There was plenty to like about that effort and she finished strongly to score by just shy of a length.

Finishing fifth on her debut at Salisbury, she was less than two lengths behind the winner and that race has thrown out no fewer than eight subsequent winners. The best is yet to come from her and she looks like the one to beat.

17:00 Yarmouth - Queen’s Reign @ 8/1

One race to watch at Yarmouth is the QuinnBet Fillies’ Handicap at 5.00 as it looks likely to produce plenty of winners throughout the season.

Whilst there are numerous angles to consider here, Ed Walker’s QUEEN’S REIGN gets the nod.

She was unfortunate to bump into Group 1 Moyglare Stud Stakes winner Fallen Angel twice as a juvenile and she was far from disgraced when a four-and-a-half-length third behind her on debut at Haydock.

Taking a big step forward when getting off the mark at Newmarket next time out, she pulled clear nicely to win by a comfortable margin. The form hasn’t quite set the world alight but the second has won since.

Whilst she was out of her depth in Group 3 company when last seen, the significant drop in grade can facilitate a significantly improved performance and 85 looks like a workable mark, on the evidence of her form so far.

18:00 Punchestown - Monty’s Star @ 5/2

Day 1 of the Punchestown Festival has three Grade 1 races on the day and the last of those is the Dooley Insurance Group Champion Novice Chase.

Cheltenham Festival runner-up MONTY’S STAR is looking to go one better here and he looks like the one to beat.

Henry de Bromhead’s gelding has also always shown plenty of potential, winning at Grade 3 level as a novice hurdler before pulling up in the Albert Bartlett at Cheltenham.

He was always going to thrive over fences however and he beat Three Card Brag comfortably here in December.

It was a mighty effort to finish second behind the excellent Fact To File in the Brown Advisory at Cheltenham in March and he was comfortably the second best horse in the race.

With that horse missing here, it’s time for Monty’s Star to take centre stage and achieve a first victory at Grade 1 level.

Horse Racing tips from Betfred Insights.