Southwell Tips: Lion Tower to rise above his rivals

The beginning of the Grand National Festival at Aintree will take most of the headlines on Thursday but there's also a busy afternoon in store at Southwell.

They race on the Tapeta at the Nottinghamshire lay-out from 13:55 until 17:23, with seven races, and in our Southwell tips, we've picked a trio to follow on the all-weather.

13:55 - Be Here Now @ 2/1

BE HERE NOW, the exquisitely named son of Oasis Dream, returned from a break at Newcastle last month to shed his maiden tag for trainer Nigel Tinkler.

It looked rather ominous for him at the furlong marker as he experienced plenty of traffic problems despite encountering just four rivals, but he picked up really well once in the clear for Rowan Scott and surged home to claim the odds-on jolly Ziggy's Missile right on the line.

That rival came out and won well here next time, while the Newcastle third – Musical Diva – has since run well at Wolverhampton in second.

Be Here Now was very consistent once he moved into handicaps on turf last season, posting figures of 3222, and with that winning return offering plenty hope there's more to come, the three-year-old surely won't look back in anger now that he's found the winning formula.

16:15 - Lion Tower @ 10/3

Grant Tuer's LION TOWER made a pleasing reappearance when just edged into second spot at Newcastle over 7f in early February, with winner Oliver Show having the benefit of match-fitness for that meeting.

This Exceed And Excel gelding has since been to Doncaster and was well beaten in their Spring Mile, but that latest dalliance with soft ground was in keeping with the overwhelming majority of his runs on anything worse than 'good'.

A line can be drawn through that Town Moor effort when he likely wasn't aided by aggressive tactics in any case.

He is well-handicapped on the best of his form and that Newcastle comeback was in a Class 3 event, so he has to be respected in Class 4 company returning to Southwell, where he is a dual course winner over shorter and boasts two wins and two seconds from five previous visits.

17:23 - Whenthedealinsdone @ 11/4

Rated 100 at his best on the turf, there must be a decent chance that WHENTHEDEALINSDONE can take advantage of a reduced mark in this sphere before too long for Roger Teal.

The six-year-old Dark Angel gelding was back from wind surgery and a break when appearing in need of the run at Lingfield in February, but has since gone back to the Surrey venue and shaped much more encouragingly, beaten a length-and-a-half into third in a Class 4 contest there five weeks ago having been eased 4lb for that initial effort.

The handicapper leaves him on 75 now and little wonder as that effort was full of promise in the way he made up ground from the rear to just miss out on second spot at the line.

He drops in grade now and is worth a chance as Southwell may be a better option for him than Lingfield given that he has shown a liking for a stiff finish on grass.

Find more Horse Racing Tips here at Betfred Insights