Tony Calvin Tips

Polly Gundry runs her 11-year-old Dawson City in the Devon National Handicap Chase, a race the horse has won for the last two years. He gets in this year off the same mark that he won off last year, and while he has been a bit out of sorts earlier this campaign his latest fourth over three miles at Ascot on heavy ground showed he is starting to hit form at just the right time. This is likely to have been his long term target, all his wins have come when the ground has been at best soft so he is expected to put in another bold showing running under what looks his optimum conditions.

Christmas In April for Colin Tizzard has certainly improved since stepped up in trip this campaign, including winning back-to-back handicap chases but he was a disappointing beaten favourite in a four runner race at Plumpton when bidding for the hat-trick on his latest start and you have to think this will be even tougher.

Perhaps a bigger threat to the selection is Cobolobo, the Jonjo O'Neill team are firing on all cylinders at the minute and the eight-year-old looks every bit a stayer with more to give. But you have to catch him on one of his good days and he certainly wasn't last time out at Newbury where he was a distant fifth. Dawson City looks the one to be on today.

Autumn Trail could be well in at Lingfield

17:00 Lingfield - Autumn Trail

The final race of the day at Lingfield looks like it could go the way of Autumn Trail, she finally got off the mark at her fourth attempt when landing a Chelmsford maiden last time out. That form has been franked by the second who has come out and won off a mark of 72 since, she also has a good draw to her advantage here in stall three. Rae Guest's three-year-old filly makes her handicap debut off a mark of 70 and that could be quite lenient, I think she could be better than that and with the talented Hollie Doyle on board, I think she is the one to beat in this.

Mews House is a colt who got off the mark at the eighth time of asking at Southwell last month. He has been hit with a 4lb rise for that and this is a stronger event than the Southwell race, so he is going to have to improve quite a bit to be involved for me.

The one I think could chase the selection home is With Virtue for James Tate, his filly may not have managed to win any of her three starts but off 63 and her first race back after a wind operation there could be plenty more to come. However, this is her first start for 216 days and that may be asking too much against Autumn Trail today.