Lucky 15 Tips: Four selections to follow on Monday

There’s a little something for everyone on Monday, with five meetings taking place across Britain and Ireland. The Irish action comes from Punchestown and Dundalk, while Hereford, Plumpton and Wolverhampton host Britain’s three fixtures.

My Lucky 15 tips includes a thoroughly unexposed James Owen runner and a bang in-form Tony Carroll representative.

15:00 Hereford - El Rio @ 10/3

This looks like a great opportunity for EL RIO, who finished third in a better race at Kempton when last seen. Leader In the Park was the winner that day and he went on to score again at Warwick recently.

El Rio did manage to win one of his five starts over hurdles but this strapping gelding was always going to flourish when sent chasing.

He took only two bites at the cherry before getting off the mark over fences and he was a cosy winner on the day at Huntingdon on his seasonal debut.

Bailey & Nicholls’ eight-year-old has proved himself in this grade, having won again at Sandown on his penultimate start and there should be plenty of room to manoeuvre with his current handicap mark.

15:30 Hereford - Clap Of Thunder @ 7/2

Representing the Nigel Twiston-Davies yard, CLAP OF THUNDER was a fair bumper performer despite failing to win in that sphere. However, he finished second to Willie Mullins’ Cheltenham Festival candidate Kopek Des Bordes at Fairyhouse in March.

Victorious at the second time of asking over hurdles, he pulled just shy of five lengths clear to win a maiden at Ascot November. The form isn’t much to write home about but it was a visually impressive performance.

A fair fifth on his handicap debut at Cheltenham after that, he was far from disgraced despite being too keen in the early stages, and it didn’t help that the five-year-old was hampered turning for home.

Better is expected here and he would have learned plenty from that experience, so the gelding should go close off a 1lb lower mark this time around.

17:00 Wolverhampton - Gaiety Musical @ 6/4

There were plenty of encouraging signs from GAIETY MUSICAL and it’s therefore no surprise that she managed to get off the mark at Kempton earlier this month. The handicapper hasn’t overreacted and a 2lb rise looks very manageable.

Running on well in the final furlong despite hanging to the right at a key stage, she finished powerfully to come out on top by a length.

Making the frame in all three starts over a mile, she’s clearly well suited by this sort of trip and the extra half-a-furlong shouldn’t be a problem.

19:00 Wolverhampton - City Cyclone @ 11/4

Tony Carroll passed the 100-winner mark in 2024 and he has made a solid start to the new year, with five winners already. CITY CYCLONE has provided two of those and further success could be on the cards here.

It’s often a good idea to keep in-form horses on side and this five-year-old is chasing a hat-trick of course wins. Both successes came over a furlong further but he races very keenly over that trip and 6f could well suit on that evidence.

Up a further 4lb for his latest success, it’s unlikely the extra weight would have stopped him winning that day and if producing a similar effort, one would imagine he’s entitled to be in the mix once again.

As a guide, a £0.50p win Lucky 15 on today's selections, at the quoted prices, return around £243 for your total £7.50 stake if all four selections won.

Horse Racing & Greyhound bets only. Excludes Virtual Racing. 5x odds on Lucky 63. 4x Odds Lucky 31. 3x Odds Lucky 15. All selections must run. Paid in cash if only 1 winner. T&Cs Apply.

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