Monday Racing Tips: Jehol de Thaix can land another winner for Nicky Richards

There’s plenty happening on the racing front in Britain and Ireland on Monday, with five meetings across both codes taking place. Kelso gets us underway with a National Hunt card and Flat meetings from Redcar and Lingfield follow swiftly after. 

Ireland’s sole meeting is hosted by Tramore in the evening and the entertainment concludes at Newcastle.

Amongst our strongest fancies across the day is a Nicky Richards runner who could still be ahead of the handicapper, despite being put up 6lb for winning last time. The trainer’s hot streak looks set to continue and another big run is anticipated.

14:30 Kelso - Jehol De Thaix @ 3/1 

Cumbria-based trainer Nicky Richards has been in excellent form of late and managed to land eight consecutive winners earlier this month. Currently operating at a strike-rate of 55 per cent, every single one of his runners needs to go under consideration.

JEHOL DE THAIX could be the one to side with here and he remains very lightly raced over hurdles, especially in handicap company. The son of Masked Marvel made a promising start to his career, finishing second by a narrow margin in a Uttoxeter bumper in July 2024.

Improving with each start since switching to handicaps, he was a fair second behind Idaho Valley in a low grade novice handicap at Haydock last month and that was his first start after a lengthy break.

He then built on that effort and managed to get off the mark at Newcastle. There was room for improvement too and his inaccurate jumping meant that he probably had more in hand than the winning margin suggests.

A 6lb rise might not be enough to stop him, especially if he does improve in the jumping department.

15:21 Lingfield - Twilight Moon @ 3/1

Marcus Tregoning’s TWILIGHT MOON showed some positive signs when keeping on to finish second in a mile maiden at Brighton on her final start as a juvenile. It’s no surprise that she would go on to improve up in trip as a three-year-old and she won three times.

The first of those successes came over 1m4f at Salisbury in July and she did very well to win with plenty in hand, despite being far too keen in the early stages.

Twilight Moon followed up with a game success at Leicester the following month and the runner-up boosted the form next time.

Returning to winning ways over course and distance on her final start of the campaign, a 2lb rise is potentially very generous and it would be dangerous to rule out further progress.

15:42 Redcar - Jolly Roger @ 3/1

Simon & Ed Crisford run four-year-old JOLLY ROGER at Redcar and they are operating at a healthy strike-rate of 23 per cent in the last couple of weeks.

This horse has been busy in the Middle East this winter and has performed consistently, despite failing to get his head in front, and is expected to run well on Monday.

He was an impressive winner of a Kempton novice back in December 2024 but hasn’t managed to win since.

The gelding was a neck away from a return to the winners’ enclosure when second on turf at Meydan in February and a similar effort would put him in the mix.

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