Monday Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan stands in for Daryl with two to back on the all-weather

• Mark is targeting the all-weather on Monday

• Beckett handicap debutant to go close

• Sprinter that caught the eye last time can go one better

• Our Cheltenham offer is live! Get a completely free bet every weekend until the Festival

17:00 Wolverhampton - Back Invincible Melody

Monday's two jumps meetings don't make much appeal from a betting perspective, but there are a couple I fancy on the all-weather at Wolverhampton, starting with an unexposed Ralph Beckett-trained runner in this 7f handicap.

There are several reasons for thinking handicap debutant Invincible Melody can improve markedly, not least the presence of Rossa Ryan in the saddle for the first time.

This son of Invincible Army cost a few quid (£145k as a yearling) and I'm sure connections will be harbouring bigger hopes than just winning class 6s on the all-weather in the longer term, which makes his opening mark of 65 potentially lenient.

The selection has shown plenty of promise in three starts over to date, including when not seen to best effect out wide at Kempton last time.

Those runs all came over 6f and he may benefit from stepping up an extra furlong here.

He also gets the benefit of blinkers and a tongue tie, which could well help move him forward as he tackles handicap company for the first time.

Of the opposition, it's be worth keeping an eye out for another unexposed runner, George Boughey's Blue Anthem, who also makes his handicap debut following three quiet runs last season.

He's bred to be a lot better than an opening mark of 65 too, though he does have a layoff to overcome and isn't as well drawn as Invincible Melody.

20:30 Wolverhampton - Back Cooperation

The closing 6f handicap at Wolverhampton features a pair who have both been on my radar since putting up eye-catching efforts on their last two starts.

Zaman Daar was much better than the bare result when finishing seventh over this C&D last time in the hands of a 7lb claimer while returning from a 161-day layoff.

Very slowly away that day, Ismail Mohammed's charge was making good progress before meeting several pieces of trouble and would surely have been closer with a better passage.

He's also likely to strip fitter for that and now has the services of Benoit de la Sayette in the saddle, though his tendency to miss the kick does concern me a touch.

Zaman Daar isn't passed over lightly, but I was even more taken by Cooperation's most recent run at Southwell.

Mick Appleby's runner was only beaten a neck that day and his performance is even better than it looks after he was forced from one side of the track to the other to get a clear shot at things.

He'd probably have won if things had panned out a little better and is becoming a seriously well-handicapped horse nowadays.

The seven-year-old's last win was back in 2023, but it's well worth noting that came from a mark of 76 and he's tumbled significantly in the weights since then, running off just 60 here.

The Southwell effort suggests Cooperation retains all his ability and I'll be surprised if he doesn't go very close from a better draw than Zaman Daar.

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