Nottingham free racing tips: Drop in distance should suit improving filly on preferred ground

15:45 Nottingham: TrustATrader Fully Vetted Tradespeople Handicap (1¼ miles)

Our Gold One found the combination of an unsuitably long trip on heavy ground a bit too much for her when last seen at Newbury last month, and it didn’t help that she was contesting a valuable Class 2 handicap which she attempted to dominate from the front.

Connections clearly felt that stamina was no issue on the back of a rock-solid return from a break which saw the filly finish second of six in a 12-furlong Class 2 at Goodwood the previous month.

She clearly has more than enough stamina for today’s soft-ground 10 furlongs on a galloping track, and she can put that to good use under these conditions, especially down in Class 3 company and only a pound higher than at Goodwood.

Best Bet : Our Golden One each-way in the 15:45 at Nottingham

The filly isn’t normally a front-runner, so it was something of a surprise to see Hollie Doyle (who knows her well) go from the front over what was the longest trip Our Golden One had encountered last month.

The three-year-old is ideally-drawn for another prominent role in stall 2 today, but perhaps the likeliest outcome is that Doyle will closely track the pace rather than make it.

That is how Our Golden One won a 10-furlong handicap at Doncaster (another flat, galloping, left-handed track) on soft ground on her seasonal debut back in April.

Back down to that distance in the lowest-graded handicap she has contested since that Doncaster win, she is clearly a big player, and is more than capable of winning again off this sort of mark.

Elsewhere, it’s no surprise to see Mr Alan at the head of the early market, given that he has won this race for the last two years, and is in the kind of form to complete a notable hat-trick.

The going was soft when he won it in 2022 off a mark of 92 and he promptly retained the prize on heavy ground last year when racing off 94, so he has to go on the shortlist with the ground having yet again come in his favour off his current mark of 95.

He arrives in better form than he did prior to winning last year, having most recently finished fifth of 13 in a higher-graded Class 2 heavy-ground handicap over 12 furlongs at Hamilton in August.

He didn’t quite get home up the hill under those very testing conditions, but he loves this ground and reverting to 10 furlongs on a flatter track that he loves is sure to go in his favour, especially as he drops back into Class 3 company for the first time since his near-miss at Newmarket this time last year.

Best Bet : Mr Alan in the 15:45 at Nottingham

• Preview and tips provided Steve Jones, who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr