Lucky 15 Tips: Mezzo Soprano looks set to hit the high note

With six meetings in the UK and Ireland on Monday there is plenty of racing to get stuck into, and it should cater for all tastes.

My Lucky 15 tips for Monday, July 15 come from Ayr, Wolverhampton and Windsor.

Horse Racing Odds

Today's Horse Races

17:10 Ayr - Leap Year Lad @ 12/1

The 1m2f handicap is an open race, but the one who offers the most value is LEAP YEAR LAD for in-form trainer Kevin Ryan and jockey Shane Gray.

The four-year-old recorded his last success over this trip at Haydock, which is a similar flat, left-handed venue, and he is back to a mark only 2lb higher than for that last success.

Leap Year Lad’s last win is nearly a year ago now, but he has been running well in defeat recently and recorded his best effort of the season when beaten only a neck into third at Nottingham last time. That is another similar track to Ayr, being Flat and left-handed.

He did remarkably well to finish so close there when you take into consideration that he raced freely from the front in first-time blinkers and didn’t really settle.

Connections have switched the blinkers for cheekpieces here and, if Leap Year Lad can settle better in the sheepskin, he is capable of going two better.

17:15 Windsor - Blinky @ 7/2

Ed Walker has his string in flying form and BLINKY appears to have a good chance of landing his first handicap success on his nursery debut.

The son of Mehmas won a novice at Leicester in May and was thought good enough to contest the Norfolk Stakes at Royal Ascot on the back of that.

He was readily outclassed that day, but this is a significantly easier assignment against horses rated no higher than 86 and Tom Marquand has been booked for the ride.

Marquand has a good record for the Walker team and can be trusted to steer Blinky back into the winners’ enclosure.

19:20 Windsor - Mezzo Soprano @ 6/4

The latest in Windsor’s series of sprint qualifiers is a cracking race and MEZZO SOPRANO appears to have outstanding claims under William Buick for red-hot Simon and Ed Crisford.

Mezzo Soprano didn’t race at two and made her debut only in August last year, but she quickly made up for lost time by winning her first three starts and looking a smart prospect.

The selection returned from a winter break at Thirsk last month and failed to justify 6-4 favouritism, but she still ran well in second when losing out by only half a length,

There should be improvement to come with that first outing of the season under her belt and she is still unexposed after just four starts.

19:40 Wolverhampton - Almudena @ 10/3

The 1m6f handicap at Wolverhampton looks like a good opportunity for ALMUDENA, who has been progressive since stepping up in trip.

The lightly-raced three-year-old comes here on the back of a career-best effort when beaten only three lengths into fourth behind Cock And Bull at Sandown last time and she did well to finish a close as she did as she came from a long way behind in a slowly run race.

She has dropped 1lb in the weights and takes an ease in grade for the Sir Mark Prescott team that is in superb form. This looks like a golden opportunity for her to break her duck.

Offers

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Lucky 15 tips from Betfred Insights.