Tuesday’s UK racing tips come your way from Hamilton and Brighton on 4 July 2023.
HAMILTON
Race 1 – MIDNIGHT LIR 11/10
MIDNIGHT LIR has shown a good level of form in three runs to date – enough to be rated 76 by the handicapper – so it is interesting his shrewd handler Michael Dods is running him in this restricted maiden stakes.
Fourth of eight on debut but not beaten far, he was then beaten less than two lengths at this track when fourth again.
Last time out at Thirsk he beat the rest of the field comfortably but was no match for a William Haggas-trained odds-on favourite.
The third came out and won next time out, so you would think it will take a reasonable performance to beat him.
15:17 (Hamilton) Fantastic Fox
Fantastic Fox has looked in the grip of the handicapper this season, but the Aspire Cleaning Company Almada Mile Handicap is perhaps his easiest task for a while.
Roger Varian’s five-year-old was fourth in the City And Suburban at Epsom, fifth in a decent event at Chester and then filled the same spot when favourite back at Epsom on Derby day.
He began the year rated 97 and is now down to 92. His last win came off 94 but that was two years ago.
Race 4 – ROARING LEGEND 7/4
ROARING LEGEND does not appear to have been hit too hard for winning last time out and he holds strong claims against his elders in the Aspire At Hamilton-Park Handicap.
Trained by James Ferguson, the Roaring Lion gelding had a frustrating run of near-misses until finally breaking his duck at Salisbury last month.
Ferguson had tried him in a tongue tie for the first time at Redcar and that has stayed on, but it took another couple of runs for the Newmarket handler to reach for cheekpieces.
That piece of headgear had the desired effect as, back in maiden company and upped to a mile and a half for the first time, he was a very easy winner.
The handicapper put him up 4lb, which given the second has been given a mark of 79, looks fairly lenient as he was well on top.
BRIGHTON
Race 2 – LUCIDITY 85/40
Ed Dunlop enjoyed his best month of the season so far in June and his LUCIDITY surely can not be far away from winning.
Unfancied in three maiden and novice races, she fared much better on her handicap debut when third of nine at Nottingham.
She carries top weight off a mark of 61 in this handicap at Brighton, which tells you the class of the opposition.
