Redcar's five-furlong handicap at 16:20 has a competitive look to it, but Another Wise Kid caught the eye in no uncertain terms last time, finishing with a flourish having been drawn alongside horses that couldn't lay up with the pace, and he is worth backing to gain compensation. Another Wise Kid, who attracted support prior to his unlucky second at Doncaster, is clearly in good heart at present and still looks fairly treated. He should win granted luck in running.
Top Wood has to prove that he is as effective on a sound surface but he still has plenty in his favour as he makes his chasing bow in the 22-furlong novices' chase at Towcester (16:40). Top Wood has produced some useful efforts with give in the ground, while he has bombed out badly on a faster surface, but those couple of failures came in ultra-competitive, big-field handicaps at Cheltenham, so it is too early to pigeonhole David Pipe's charge as simply a mudlark. He enters this race in good form having produced something like his best at Chepstow, where he was simply outstayed by a trio with deeper reserves of stamina, and he should go extremely close in a race full of horses with unconvincing profiles.
Our final bet on Monday runs in the concluding race on Leicester's card as we side with the in-form Jarlath. Twice a winner at Kempton this year, the Seamus Mullins-trained three-year-old shaped better than the bare result when finishing third at Windsor in a stronger race than the ones he had been contesting on the all-weather. Always travelling well, Jarlath met some trouble in running but he finished to good effect under a considerate ride and he remains on a decent mark. The booking of Ryan Moore this evening catches the eye and he can bounce back to winning ways.
Timeform UK SmartPlays:
Back Another Wise Kid @ 5.49/2 in the 16:20 at Redcar
Back Top Wood @ 2.3811/8 in the 16:40 at Towcester
Back Jarlath @ 2.982/1 in the 20:45 at Leicester
