Monday racing tips: Five horses to follow at Windsor and Hexham on Sky Sports Racing this Monday | Racing News

Sky Sports Racing’s Elliot David is back with five horses who have caught his eye across Monday’s competitive cards at Windsor and Hexham.

KYBER CRYSTAL

1.30 Windsor

The return of Monday racing at Windsor may ordinarily see the return of the near-side rail bias, but with softer ground expected and runners tending to shun said rail in such conditions, it may not play as significant a role here.

The card kicks off with a maximum field 16-runner sprint, the like of which there has only been 20 of in the last 10 years at the track.

Although it is a small enough sample size, the draw statistics seem to suggest the second quarter of the draw, those in stalls 5-8, are in some way favoured in a field as big as this, and particularly so when there is soft in the going description.

There are a handful with claims on their best form here and it seems likely the big field will offer good each-way opportunities for punters. I like the look of Alexandra Dunn’s four-year-old KYBER CRYSTAL, with the eye-catching booking of champion apprentice Benoit de la Sayette off what could be a more manageable mark of 63.

Formerly trained by Adrian Keatley this horse managed a hugely-promising debut second on soft ground at Doncaster, beaten just a length by subsequent Group One winner Ebro River. Their career paths are polar opposites thereafter, but with all her best efforts coming with some cut in the ground I’d expect we’ll see conditions to suit.

SHADOW DANCE

2.35 Windsor

It’s notebooks at the ready for this novice stakes contest, with each of the last four renewals won by a horse that went on to achieve a rating of 100 or more.

Hugo Palmer’s twice-raced Order Of Malta sets the standard here having ran to around a mid-late 70s rating on both of his two starts to date. He could though be vulnerable to an improver or smart debutant and I’m not sure he’s a 100+ performer in the making.

Both Understated and Prosper Legend were notably green on debut and in need of the experience. Each could well take a step forward with the preference being for William Haggas’ son of Australia, who is out of a half-sister to a smart dual-purpose star of the past in Pallasator.

However, I’m interested in Roger Varian’s debutant SHADOW DANCE, with a pedigree that suggests he could really enjoy conditions. Sire Almanzor is producing some smart middle-distance types and dam Skyline Dancer is an unraced half-sister to 1000 Guineas winner Speciosa from a family of winners with soft ground form.

SUNSET POINT

3.10 Windsor

You can make cases for a few of these, but you won’t go too far wrong siding with Charlie Appleby-trained horses in the early stages of the season. Appleby is a high percentage trainer, but that notable extends to the first month of the Flat season, with a 30 per cent overall strike rate (69-233) improving to 36 per cent (47-129) in the last five years.

His filly SUNSET POINT has evidently been a slow burner, getting off the mark narrowly at the third attempt at Lingfield on November 30 but the family of dam Hidden Gold have showcased similarly slow development on track. Both brother Secret Victory and sister Creative Flair, a Group Two winner for Appleby, improved with racing with the latter notably excelling once tackling 10 furlongs.

I think we’re likely to see similar from this daughter of Dubawi and though she’s certainly got some way to go to match the exploits of her elder sister, starting life in handicaps off a mark of just 76, I doubt she’ll finish the season at this level.

The only real query is the expected soft ground and in the event she fails to handle it, I’d expect Swift Lioness to give it a bold sight from the front with proven soft ground form.

EX S’ELANCE

3.25 Hexham

Nick Alexander’s 2022 winner Gipsy Lee Rose returns to defend her title from a 6lb lower mark in this three-mile handicap chase, but with her form distinctly below par she looks to have it all to prove this time around.

It looks an open contest and, of course, any significant market move should likely be noted. But in these low-grade marathon contests I’d like a horse arriving in fine form and there can’t be many in better heart than Victor Thompson’s EX S’ELANCE.

The French import had struggled quite badly since a move from Guy Cherel in 2018 but having joined Thompson from Micky Hammond, a spell back in the point-to-point sphere looks to have revitalised him. Since going two from two between the flags, he’s returned to rules to record form of 1-P-2-1 in four starts over fences.

He seems to keep a little back for himself when hitting the front, idling when leading at Newcastle on April 15, but ultimately he won with a little more in hand than appeared that day having met some trouble in running, and I think we could see further improvement over three miles and up just 1lb for that latest victory.

As said, it’ll be well worth watching for any market moves here and George Bewley’s Lights Are Green could make more appeal than most in that scenario. The former point winner makes his first start over fences and steps up to three miles for the first time under rules and market support would seem notable.

HARRY THE HAGGLER

5.30 Windsor

It looks a typically open low-level handicap contest at the Thameside track but having been notably well backed when bumping into a well-handicapped rival at Lingfield, Stuart Williams’ three-year-old makes plenty of appeal.

Heavily punted into 5/2 joint favouritism, the Gleneagles gelding just couldn’t cope with conceding 9lb to Peter Chapple-Hyam’s Wildfell while still showing signs of inexperience in the early stages of the race. The winner has since won easily at Kempton from a 7lb higher mark and looks to still have any amount in hand with a rating in the 60s likely to be forthcoming when re-assessed.

With that in mind, having been raised just 1lb to 56 by the handicapper for that runner-up finish it looks a perfect time for HARRY THE HAGGLER to gain his first career victory.

Watch every race from Windsor and Hexham live on Sky Sports Racing on Monday, April 24.