Wednesday Horse Racing Tips: Mark Milligan has a trio of selections at Kempton

• Lightly raced McIntosh can follow up

• Recent winner should enjoy step up in trip

• Gosden handicapper to make winning return

• We are now NRNB on the 2025 Grand National

18:00 Kempton - Back McIntosh

With the flat turf season looming larger on the horizon, Kempton stages a really interesting all-weather card on Wednesday and the first division of this 7f handicap features several in-form three-year-olds who could well have more to offer.

The obvious starting point is Lady Manzor, who's won her last two starts for the Amanda Perrett stable and has struck up a good relationship with talented 7lb claimer Jack Dace.

The young apprentice has ridden her to both her successes and she won't be short of supporters as she attempts to bring up the hat-trick here.

However, she faces no easy task in trying to get the better of McIntosh, who looked a young horse going places when winning a Wolverhampton earlier this month. Although he only won by half a length, it was in a race that should work out and was backed up by a good timefigure.

McIntosh can be expected to progress again on just his third start and an opening mark of 75, as he steps into handicaps, looks a fair one.

18:30 Kempton - Back Macedonian

I'm not sure the second division of this 7f handicap contains quite as much depth as the first and it looks a good opportunity for Macedonian to follow up a recent course success.

Simon & Ed Crisford's gelding took a little while to get it all together, but he finally came good last time, proving strong at the finish over 6f and shaping as if this extra furlong would be well within his compass.

Prior to that success, Macedonian had finished sixth in a novice contest that's thrown up a stack of winners, so his form has a very solid look to it.

A rise of just 3lb looks more than manageable as the selection attempts to record another win and useful claimer Liam Wright again takes off 5lb. The Crisford team have really hit their straps of late too, with three winners in the last fortnight and a strike-rate of 27%.

Of the opposition, Whizz By has been in fine form during the winter and may be the one to provide the most resistance.

19:00 Kempton - Back Roi De France

There should be plenty more to come from Roi De France as a four-year-old and John and Thady Gosden's well-bred son of Sea The Stars can make a winning return in this excellent 7f handicap.

Oisin Murphy's mount progressed well last season, winning a novice event at Windsor before overcoming trouble to beat Popmaster by a head at this track on his penultimate start.

He was again ahead of that rival when second in a listed race on his final 2024 outing and this drop back into handicap company looks a good start for one who could well prove better than a handicapper as the season goes on.

There is perhaps a slight doubt around the trip as he drops down to 7f for the first time, but Roi De France is a strong traveller and I don't envisage it being too much of an inconvenience.

Top weight Mount Athos may well be the one to chase the selection home, but whether he's quite good enough to give away a couple of pounds to one who should still have plenty of improvement in him remains to be seen.

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