Southwell free racing tips: Look beyond the favourite in wide-open handicap
Southwell racecourse
Last but not least on Southwell’s bumper nine-race card is this middle-distance handicap that looks full of each-way potential for race-goers to end their evening on a high point.
20:30 Southwell: Sky Sports Racing Sky 415 Handicap (1 mile 3 furlongs)
This weak-looking affair provides a big chance for David Loughnane’s recent recruit, My Brother Mike, to record a seventh all-weather success and a third on this circuit.
The veteran hadn’t won for quite some time prior to landing a one-mile handicap here in March, seeing off eight runners rated higher than any in this field, and My Brother Mike won it off today’s mark of 57.
The front pair pulled well clear of ten others and the runner-up, who was the race favourite, promptly won a higher-graded Class 5 handicap at Wolverhampton four days later, taking that stronger race by nearly four lengths from eight rivals.
On that form, a similar performance from the 10-year-old would give him a very good chance of landing another course win against this much weaker opposition.
Best Bet : My Brother Mike each-way in the 20:30 at Southwell
My Brother Mike has moved from a yard with just one Flat winner all year (that being his own win here in March) from 16 runners to Loughnane’s much more prolific yard with a very good record at this venue.
The veteran is a far better performer on the all-weather than he is on turf, so a return to his last winning track looks a very good move, with this 11-furlong trip looking ideal.
The long, flat home straight at this venue gives him plenty of time to get into full stride and this weak handicap represents a big opportunity for him.
Of the others, Lednikov is the only course-distance winner in this low-grade field, and he showed just last week that his turn might not be far away, finishing well down the near-side rail from a long way back for a never-nearer sixth of 12 in a stronger 0-60 event.
He was beaten only two lengths, missing second place by just over half a length, so he wouldn’t need to improve much from that effort to have a fair chance here, especially as he is now 14lbs lower than for his last win (which was over this very trip in late 2022).
Next Best Bet : Lednikov each-way in the 20:30 at Southwell
- Preview and tips provided Steve Jones, who runs CD Systems Daily Bargain on Tipstrr
