Lingfield, Tuesday 19 May: Tips and Selections

Lingfield, Tuesday 19 May: Tips and Selections

A Tuesday card at Lingfield on good ground gives us three races worth getting stuck into. The ground is playing fair, the fields are competitive, and there are some genuinely interesting angles here, particularly in that big 14-runner handicap where the each-way market opens up nicely. Dylan Cunha’s yard is the standout training statistic across the card, with six winners from 24 starts in the last fortnight. That sort of strike rate demands attention.

2:10 — Get Raceday Ready Handicap (1m3½f)

Selection: Hengest (8/13 BoyleSports)

Ordinarily you would not be recommending a short-priced favourite in this column, but Hengest deserves an exception. Dylan Cunha is training with genuine confidence right now, and this horse has shown progressive form at every turn. He built on a solid Epsom fourth to win at Windsor over 1m2f just eight days ago, doing it well enough to suggest the extra distance here is no problem, given the dam won over 1m7f. He carries a 5lb penalty for that success but the mark still looks fair for a horse on the upgrade.

The 8/13 price is short, yes. But this is one of those occasions where the horse deserves to be. He is the class act in a modest field stripped of Iwantmytimewithyou through a non-runner, and on good ground he ought to travel smoothly for Luke Morris. Take the price and move on.

2:40 — Sky Sports Racing Restricted Maiden Stakes (7f)

Selection: Vidmiyr (4/6 BoyleSports)

Vidmiyr is the standout on form and the 4/6 price reflects that, though it is not unreasonable given what he showed at Wolverhampton last month. He was beaten only a neck on his stable debut there, and the Doncaster run in handicap company reads even better given he was short of room approaching the finish. Back in maiden grade, he drops significantly in class and the 7f trip at Lingfield on good ground is exactly what Jennie Candlish’s yard would have been targeting.

The Spotlight does flag that ground slower than good would be an unknown, but today’s conditions are good, so no issue there. The only caveat is the debut runner Ice To Meet You, who has solid breeding for this trip. Watch that market before committing, but Vidmiyr is the most exposed form in the field and retains clear claims.

Spirit Of Albion at 9/4 is worth a note as a stable switch under Michael Appleby, formerly placed at Kempton over 7f. The yard’s recent stats are cold (0 from 22) so the price feels right to leave alone, but if the market shortens him, take note.

3:10 — Simon Duggan The Bad Ama Handicap Div I (7½f) — 14 Runners

Selection: Grand Citadel Each-Way (9/1 BoyleSports)

Fourteen runners, four places, and a mare on the up whose recent form reads better than her price suggests. Grand Citadel was solid at Yarmouth over 6f three weeks ago, finishing third, and a step back up to 7f-plus on good ground at Lingfield suits her profile. Her one career win came over 7f on good to soft, so this track and going combination is as close to ideal as she will get.

The concern about Man Is King is not his quality, it is the penalty. He has won twice in quick succession at Bath and now carries an extra 4lb into a 14-runner field on a track he has not visited. The Spotlight also hints he would prefer conditions to stay dry, and at 9/4 he is short enough that one scrappy run ends the each-way case entirely.

At 9/1 with four places paid, Grand Citadel offers proper each-way value in a wide-open race. Mighty Ruler at 6/1 is a course winner and bears watching given he kept on well from off the pace here three weeks ago, but the price is shorter and the turf record remains a worry at 0 from 4.

• Man Is King — market leader, danger if the penalty does not blunt him
• Mighty Ruler — course form solid, turf record is the concern
• Grand Citadel — each-way call at 9/1, suited by trip and going

Today’s NAP