Jake Price's Monday Betting Tips For Racing Action at Plumpton & Southwell

TIP 1: MALDINI MILANO - 1pt Win

Best odds of 7/2 at Unibet, Spreadex, Star Sports, PricedUp and Sporting Index while publishing.

With Kocktail Bleu a non-runner, I think it leaves the feature race at Plumpton on Monday there for MALDINI MILANO's taking. This 6yo won over course and distance twice last season including in April, and that form has since been franked very nicely in the Autumn, so you would have to say that he would be capable of defying a rise in the weights.

Last Autumn he made a very good Hurdles debut when second to A Pai De Nom (134) at Newton Abbot, and a month later at Fontwell the market very much expected him to go one better in a much weaker contest - but unfortunately he jumped badly right and was hampered at the first, where he unseated Harry Cobden. Paul Nicholls was baffled as to why this happened, but he got him to jump 32 Hurdles at home for further practice, and he also applied cheekpieces for his next start.

That equipment seemed to do the trick, as on this card 12 months ago our selection won the course and distance Maiden Hurdle in nice style, beating subsequent Silver Trophy winner Daylatedollarshort (135) by 3.5 lengths. Now clearly that rival has improved to win three races since, but it was still a nice scalp to pick up in a Plumpton Maiden, as they often can be fairly weak affairs.

After a bit of a break Maldini Milano ran at Windsor in a very competitive Novices' Handicap Hurdle, and he ran fine in sixth place without pulling up any trees - but I can always forgive a horse around Windsor, as I don't think it is a good track for jumpers. What was most pleasing however was that he returned to this course and distance in April off a mark of 113, and under a first time ride from Paddy Hanlon, he was able to tough it out to beat Grand Conqueror (127) by a head. The front two pulled 10 lengths clear of the third that day so are clearly nice types, but moreover that rival has since bolted up the other day at Fontwell, so it looks a strong piece of form.

The Handicapper raised our selection 8lbs for that win to a mark of 121, but considering the form boosts and the fact that Paddy Hanlon once again jumps aboard to take off 5lbs, he surely is more than capable of going in again at what is now his favourite track. Paul Nicholls is starting to hit a bit of form now too, with three winners from his last 14 runners.

TIP 2: MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX - 1.5pts Win

Best odds of 6/4 at bet365, William Hill, Paddy Power, Sky Bet and a range of other bookmakers while publishing.

An exciting prospect for the season ahead has to be MIDNIGHT JUKEBOX, who beat none other than Soldier Reeves (147) in his Maiden point-to-point at Castlelands in March 2025. That rival developed into a high-class Novice Hurdler last season, but our selection has done more than enough under rules himself to suggest that he is well up to winning this Maiden Hurdle.

Following his £135,000 purchase to go into training with Fergal O'Brien for the Noel Fehily syndicate he was given plenty of time, and he wasn't seen on track until February 2026 when making his debut in a Bumper at Southwell. Ridden nice and prominently, this striking chestnut chased the leader Smokehouse and then took it up under Jonathan Burke's urgings at around the 2f marker. He showed a lovely attitude from there to stay on all the way to the line, and whilst understandably on his first start under rules he did idle somewhat once shooting clear, he was always doing enough to score.

This relation to Gunsight Ridge and Earth Mother is an exciting prospect for going Hurdling with this Autumn, and by all accounts his homework in the buildup to this Southwell race has been very good, so you would expect that he will be far more ready for this contest than market rival Rices Pool. Whilst he has had a couple of winners this weekend, Ben Pauling's yard are still 'not where they want to be' according to the trainer himself, and therefore I am not dropping the theory that his horses are needing the run until further evidence is produced.