Today's Racing Tips: Mark Milligan's three best bets on Tuesday include 9/2 fancy

Punchestown, 16:30 - Back Poetic Focus @ 4/15.00

6

Poetic Focus (Ire)

• J: C. M. Quirke
• T: A. Slattery, Ireland
• F: F0-750202

• SBK 4/1
• EXC 6.4

A field of 18 go to post for this handicap hurdle, but it probably isn't quite as competitive as the numbers suggest and only a handful are worthy of closer inspection.

One of those is clearly Granlahan, who put a frustrating run of second-place finishes behind him when winning at Fairyhouse over the weekend and trainer Ado McGuinness has chosen to strike while the iron's hot, turning him out quickly under a 7lb penalty.

However, that effectively bumps him up to a career-high mark of 93 and he'll need to progress again to defy it, while there's also the possibility he could find the race coming too soon.

Instead, I'm going to side with Poetic Focus, who has been catching the eye of late and went agonisingly close to breaking her maiden in a similar contest to this last time, going down by a nose to Private Policy.

A repeat of that will put Andrew Slattery's charge right in the mix.

Notable winners from Mark in recent weeks

Blue Brother @ 9/1
Ugo Bingo @ 6/1
Star Of Mali @ 11/2
Treble Bass @ 7/2
Brilliant Star @ 9/4
Silver Lake @ 2/1
Rock Montreal @ 11/8

Wolverhampton, 20:00 - Back Palliser @ 9/25.50

2 (6)

Palliser

• J: Oisin Murphy
• T: Archie Watson
• F: 640

• SBK 9/2
• EXC 6.4

Snaafy could well take plenty of catching in this handicap following a third-place finish last time at Leicester that is better than it looks. He ended up in a pace duel that day but still did well to not be beaten too far at all into third, and there's the possibility he could have things more his own way here.

However, Snaafy's draw in 13 is far from ideal and he may have to use up bit of petrol to secure the early lead.

With that in mind, I'm going against him with a much less exposed rival in the shape of Archie Watson's Palliser.

This one makes his handicap debut from a mark of just 60 after three quiet qualifying runs and, when you bear in mind that he's by Kingman out of a mare who had a Timeform rating of 106, he could well be starting off very leniently treated.

The booking of Oisin Murphy for the ride also catches the eye and any market confidence behind Palliser will also be a positive sign as he steps up in trip.

Wolverhampton, 20:30 - Midnight Media @ 13/82.63

5 (10)

Midnight Media

• J: Oisin Murphy
• T: William Muir & Chris Grassick
• F: 92121224

• SBK 6/4
• EXC 2.42

Although Oisin Murphy has all but conceded the jockeys championship to Billy Loughnane, I still fancy him to have a productive evening at Wolverhampton and am hoping he can double up with Midnight Media in the finale.

William Muir & Chris Grassick's mare has been in fine form since mid-summer, winning twice and finishing runner-up on four other occasions, and she was unlucky not to finish closer when fourth on her most recent outing at Southwell.

That came in a stronger race than the one she faces today and she was in there pitching until getting badly hampered in the final furlong. Midnight Media's effort that day can clearly be upgraded and she should take all the beating as she drops in class from that 0-75 into this 0-65.

The selection does need to prove her stamina over the longest trip she's encountered to date, but I don't see that being too much of an issue and she rates quite a strong fancy.

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