Monday Racing Tips: Thriving Makalu still ahead of handicapper

• Makalu did well to win last time

• Yaaser can build on recent promise

• Atomise set to snap losing sequence

• Champions Full Gallop: Six-part docuseries coming soon to ITV

Makalu can notch fourth success of season

Makalu did well to make up so much ground in the straight when successful at Beverley last time and that was the thriving five-year-old's third win from just five starts this season.

Makalu, who broke slowly and was held up in last, still had plenty to do two furlongs out but he picked up strongly after he was angled out and swept through to lead inside the final 50 yards.

He won a shade cosily by a length but was value for more given how that race developed and he still looks fairly treated following a 4 lb rise in the weights - he is 3 lb clear at the top of Timeform's ratings while he also earned the Horse In Focus Flag last time, marking him out as one likely to remain of interest.

Mulrennan gets a good tune from Yaaser

Yaaser was down the field on his first couple of starts this season but he went with much more encouragement when third at York on his penultimate outing and also shaped well when fifth in the competitive Carlisle Bell last time.

Yaaser didn't get the clearest of runs at Carlisle but he made some eye-catching late headway, earning the Horse In Focus Flag and leaving the impression that he's in good enough form to capitalise on a mark that is only 1 lb higher than the one he last defied at Southwell in September.

It's also worth noting that Paul Mulrennan, who has been aboard for five of Yaaser's six wins, is back in the saddle for the first time since Southwell, while this is a weaker and less competitive handicap than the Carlisle Bell. The likelihood of a strong gallop should also suit as Yaaser is often slowly away and held up.

Atomise has been knocking on the door

Atomise hasn't won since 2021 and her losing streak now stands at 17 races, but her efforts this season suggest that it won't be long before she delivers that overdue success.

Atomise has finished placed on all three starts in 2024 and shaped especially well when earning the Horse In Focus Flag for her runner-up effort at Carlisle last month. She wasn't unlucky as the winner came from even further back after blowing the start, but she still deserves credit for how she kept on from an unpromising position in a race run at a modest tempo.

She's able to run off the same mark as last time and, clearly in good form at present, she should give another good account of herself.

Now read more horse racing previews here