Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan has Friday selections at 3/1 and 7/4

• Mark has been in good form of late

• He's backing a hurdler at Hexham

• He's heading to the all-weather for Friday's other selection

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15:55 Hexham - Back Wal Buck's @ 7/42.75

There isn't a great deal of depth to this extended 2m 7f handicap hurdle and it looks an ideal opportunity for the relatively unexposed Wal Buck's to get off the mark at the fifth time of asking under Rules.

This scopey type made the frame on his sole point-to-point start and has been brought along gradually by the Lucinda Russell yard having started out in a bumper at Carlisle back in December.

His first outing over hurdles came next time at the same track, where he finished fourth in a novice contest that went on to work out reasonably well, shaping as if the 2m 1f trip would be a bare minimum for him.

He stepped up on that next time to finish runner-up in a similar contest at Leicester in January, again shaping as if step up in trip would suit.

He got that step up next time, where he finished fourth on handicap debut over 2m 4f, sticking on late in the day having been a bit tapped for toe.

That was a better contest than this one and Wal Buck's will have his stamina drawn out even further here, something that should suit ideally given how he's shaped on most of his starts to date.

With main danger Rumble B only getting off the mark at the twenty-seventh attempt last time, it will be disappointing if Wal Buck's doesn't have enough progression in him to win an ordinary handicap such as this.

20:30 Dundalk - Back How About No @ 3/14.00

The assessor knows plenty about most of the runners in the closing 1m 4f handicap at Dundalk, but that's not the case with Joseph O'Brien's How About No, who could be leniently treated off a mark of 80 on handicap debut.

A big type with plenty about him physically, this son of Galiway shaped with plenty of promise when finishing sixth on debut in heavy ground at Navan back in October.

He confirmed that promise when switched to the all-weather over this C&D last month, attracting plenty of support and running out a workmanlike winner having always been well placed.

Both How About No and the runner-up pulled well clear of the third that day and it will be something of a surprise if that proves the selection's limit, particularly given the physical scope he possesses.

Main danger Palace Rock has been running well in defeat of late and can usually be relied on to be thereabouts, while several of the others also come into the race in good nick, though none of them have the potential of How About No, who could go on improving for a while yet.

Now read Cheltenham Festival 2025 tips, three horses to back antepost from 7/1 to 33/1