Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's best bets for rearranged Dublin Racing Festival card

• Mark Milligan previews the rearranged 'Day 1' DRF card

• He has each-way fancies in a couple of the handicaps

• The best bet of the day comes in the closing bumper

• For the latest Betfair Racing odds click here

• Bet £10 get £10 on racing multiples every weekend up to Cheltenham

Racing... Only Bettor. Listen to our latest preview including the DRF now.

14:25 Leopardstown - Back Son Of Anarchy E/W @ 7/18.00

The wet weather has made things tricky this week and Leopardstown will need to survive a Friday afternoon inspection before the first day of the Dublin Racing Festival hopefully gets the go ahead.

The DRF has quickly established itself as the second most important fixture on the National Hunt calendar and this year's meeting has its usual mix of intriguing handicaps and Grade 1 contests for us to glean more Cheltenham clues.

The first race of interest from a betting perspective is the Race And Stay At Leopardstown Handicap Hurdle over 3m in which J P McManus typically holds a strong hand. Heading the betting is his County Final, who could well be a blot on the handicap running from a mark of 128 having finished second in Grade 2 company last time.

That came behind a very smart prospect from the Gordon Elliott stable, but it was only a five-runner affair and County Final will find this 24-runner contest a wholly different test and it could be that a lack of experience finds him out.

I'm going to side with owner-mate Son Of Anarchy, who acquitted himself well when third in a handicap over 2m 4f at Navan last time, shaping as if this step to 3m should suit.

He has that bit more experience in this sphere than County Final and that might well prove the difference, while we also have the bonus of six places available on the Sportsbook, which makes Son Of Anarchy a solid each-way play.

16:05 Leopardstown - Back Ballysax Hank E/W @ 7/18.00

The Barberstown Castle Handicap Chase over 2m 1f is another contest that catches my eye form an each-way perspective and, as you'd expect, there are cases to be made for plenty of the 14-runner field.

Jacob's Ladder is the obvious one to start with as he possesses a similar profile to County Final in that he's moving from Grade company into handicaps from what could be a lenient mark. Gordon Elliott's charge was off the mark at the third time of asking over fences when taking a maiden at Fairyhouse in November and bettered that form when second in Grade 3 novice at Punchestown last time.

However, my concerns with him are similar to those of County Final and this will be a different test to anything he's encountered over the bigger obstacles so far.

The one to be with may well be the much more experienced Ballysax Hank, who ran well over hurdles in America on his penultimate start before shaping better than the bare result when eighth back over fences in the Paddy Power Chase at this track last month.

That came over 3m and the selection was running a fine race until his stamina gave way, so dropping back down in trip here should suit him to a tee.

Ballysax Hank is much higher in the weights now than when winning the Summer Plate at Market Rasen in July but it's a mark that still looks workable and he's another solid each-way selection.

16:40 Leopardstown - Back Charismatic Kid @ 15/82.88

Not so much value available in the closing bumper but it's a fascinating contest nometheless and Martin Brassil has a very useful prospect to into battle with in the shape of It's Only A Game.

This five-year-old son of Goliath Du Berlais stepped up on his debut runner-up finish to get off the mark at the second attempt, aided by the application of a first-time tongue tie as he returned from a seven-month break. That form was franked by the second winning next time and It's Only A Game looks certain to go on improving as he gains in experience.

As useful as he may well turn out to be, he could have his hands full trying to contain Charismatic Kid, who bolted up on bumper debut for Colm Ryan and subsequently joined the yard of Gordon Elliott having been acquired by Gigginstown.

He's open to plenty of improvement for his top yard and the sky could well be the limit for one that looks an excellent propsect.

Mark's Monday Racing Multi

Back Narciso Has (13:50 Leopardstown) & Galopin Des Champs (15:30 Leopardstown) @ around 7/24.50

Betfair's Bet £10 Get £10 on Racing Multis continues ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, and the multi that makes the most appeal on Monday is a Willie Mullins double involving Narciso Has and Galopin Des Champs.

The former is a top-class novice hurdler in the making and can enhance his Triumph claims with victory in the Grade 1 Juvenile Hurdle, while Galopin Des Champs has a fantastic record in the Paddy Power Irish Gold Cup and is taken to win it for a fourth successive year.

Now read Katie Midwinter's Saturday Racing Tips here