Sunday Racing Tips from Steve Ryder

The Gavin Cromwell trained EARLS (best priced at 3/1) bids for a hat-trick of wins in this race and arrives here bidding for a five-timer. The five-year-old is well suited by the heavy ground he will encounter here as he won in these conditions for the previous two seasons. The gelding has won his last four starts off marks of 76, 80, 82 and 85 and despite now racing off a career high mark of 90, he looks to hold strong claims with conditions to suit.

Gary Carroll has a fantastic record on the horse with four wins and two seconds from seven runs and I expect Earls to make it a hat-trick of wins in this race.

All five runners in this Novices’ Handicap Chase hold claims but preference goes SOLO (best priced at 7/2) for the in-form Paul Nicholls yard. The champion trainer has already had good success this season with top weights in handicaps and the six-year-old should hold strong claims of getting off the mark over fences on his fifth attempt. He has a good record fresh and was only beaten a nose on his reappearance last season in a similar contest off a mark of 135. He then placed at Newbruy before finishing 3rd behind Edwardstone in a Grade 2 at Kempton.

Solo has now dropped back down to a mark of 135 which we know he can be competitive off and I expect him to run well for the in-form combination of Paul Nicholls (38% strike rate) and Harry Cobden (50% strike rate).

The Noel Meade trained HELVIN DREAM (best priced at 11/8) takes a significant drop in class here and he should get back to winning ways. The five-year-old has form figures of 11331881 on soft/heavy ground including in a Group 3 in 2020 and the Group 1 Tattersalls Gold Cup last year.

Helvin Dream has slightly disappointed on his three starts this season but those have been when a close 5th in a Group 3 on his reappearance and when well beaten in Group 1 contests at the Curragh and Ascot. He now takes a significant drop in class and should prove hard to beat in receipt of weight from the likes of Current Option, Emporio and Cosmic Vega who are all rated lower than the selection.