Daryl Carter's Tips: Luck of the Irish can see a Sunday Wincanton winner

• Nicholls' Irish Hill is a confident NAP to land a Sunday winner

• Lion Tower can maintain 100% Musselburgh record

• Headgear is a possible angle with big-priced Redarna

13:57 Wincanton - Back Irish Hill @ 6/42.50 2.5pt win (NAP)

It is a competitive race with a handful who hold claims, which should ensure Paul Nicholls' Irish Hill - 6/42.50 on the Betfair Sportsbook - price remains honest, but in reality, he has an outstanding chance dropped into a 0-125 at a time when his trainer is all guns blazing for winners and at his home venue.

The six-year-old has taken a little longer to come to hand this year, but he gave a firm indication at Kempton last time that he was ready to strike. Off only one pound higher, this looks like a brilliant bit of placing by his master trainer.

The Nicholls runner was unlucky not to finish closer than he did at Kempton when snatched up on the rail in the closing stages as he tried to quicken, and he got off lightly with just a one-pound rise. The winner, Boombawn, was fully tuned up for that assignment, and the runner-up has been a model of consistency this term and was only beaten two lengths by another well-treated Skelton horse at Cheltenham next time.

It's not wise to judge the form through the fourth Kateira, who won at Aintree next time, given that it was no more than a prep run. However, the fifth followed up with an excellent second at Cheltenham, giving the form a fairly reliable look.

Irish Hill has stayed in Class 2 company since winning off two pounds lower at Fakenham in January 2023, and the form of his Ascot win last February off three pounds higher is far stronger than today's Class 3 contest.

With all that considered, there's little reason why he should fail to deliver today with a drying good ground surface, seeing previous form figures reading 1211 outside of a reappearance effort and the blinkers seeing further improvement this term. He ticks plenty of boxes.

Ike Sport is going the right way and can play a hand, along with Magic Seven, but both look a little high in the handicap and, in my opinion, it will only be tactics or disappointment from the selection that see them score.
Back the selection at 1/12.00 or bigger as he should be landing this comfortably.

18:15 Musselburgh - Back Lion Tower @ 5/16.00 1pt

Lion Tower - 5/16.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - put in a good shift at Southwell last time and left the impression that he was ready to strike off a reduced handicap mark.

The selection can boast a 2-2 record at this venue, and the plum draw in stall one has been granted. Sam James has ridden him to good effect here on both occasions, being ridden up with the pace but moving off the rail to avoid traffic. The move up in class should hold no fears, considering he is a multiple Class 2 winner off higher ratings in the past, and this sharp seven furlongs is the perfect scenario.

This looks to be his time of year, so he is one of two I want on my side in this heat. However, he is the firm first preference, and confidence will rise should the ground continue to dry.

Back him at 9/25.50 or bigger.

18:15 Musselburgh - Back Redarna @ 25/126.00 0.5pt

Redarna - 25/126.00 on the Betfair Sportsbook - has done me a few good turns over the years, and it might be too much to ask for one more, but he is fascinating turned out for his first start of the season wearing cheek-pieces.

I thought he wanted to be backed on his second campaign run, which may still be the case, but his profile is interesting when wearing the cheek-pieces for the first time. He beat a handful of these in 2022 when landing the Thirsk Hunt Cup over 1m on his seasonal debut, and that, interestingly, was the first time he had worn the headgear on a seasonal debut.

When looking through his profile, you can see he has an excellent record when the cheek-pieces are applied. In 2019, he scored third time out when the headgear was used for the first time that season. In 2020, he won the second time out, but when the headgear went back on for the first time. In 2021, he went narrowly close at Haydock in the headgear for the first time that season, but it coincided with "heavy" going, and he won the next time. In 2022, he won the Thirsk Hunt Cup. In 2023, they tried it in the Buckingham Palace at Royal Ascot, for which he was a 66/167.00 chance and on the wrong side of the track - easily forgiven. Interestingly, connections left it off next time and then reapplied back at Thirsk to no avail (again, soft ground and an excusable effort when losing ground out of the stalls), but he scored next time.

Perhaps there is an angle in the "first-time headgear" with him, and Phil Dennis got a good tune out of him at Carlisle last August. Opportunities will be few at ten, so I expect him to be fully prepared for this.

A sharp seven around Musselburgh may be too tight for him but have a small saver at 20/121.00 or bigger.

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