Lingfield Placepot: Monday December 10

Robert Winston will be aboard Layline at 14:10

Musselburgh has beaten the frost and will host racing today but it is the all-weather action at Lingfield that is the target of Monday's Placepot...

12:10 - This is an interesting opening leg, with there being little form on offer and plenty promising boasting the potential to improve, and we will place our faith in a pair that have taken to the track just the once. Spillway very much caught the eye on his debut at Kempton, running green in the early stages but finishing strongly without being knocked about, and he ought to do better with that experience under his belt. On first glance Rainford Glory's first outing, where he finished eighth at Wolverhampton, doesn't seem all that encouraging but he offered much more promise than the result suggests, left with plenty to do and making what ground he could in the straight. He could progress markedly for that run and is certainly one to have on side. 

12:40 - This looks set to be fought out between Divine Angel, Lexi The Princess and Sofi's Secret and, with doubts surrounding the first pair mentioned on account of trip and present well-being respectively, we will bank on the Stan Moore-trained Sofi's Spirit. The two-year-old is gradually going the right way, following her second in a maiden at Wolverhampton with success in a seller at that same track, and the drop to six furlongs is unlikely to inconvenience her. 

13:10 - This is fairly competitive event with a number potentially well handicapped, so we will need to take two if we are to progress. The first to go in is Billy Red, who was in good heart when scoring twice, including over C&D, earlier in the year and has shaped better than the result on occasion since. He is now 3 lb below his last winning mark and is difficult to dismiss. Joining him is Fathom Five who, although not the force of old, is handicapped accordingly and has not been running too badly over C&D of late. Cheekpieces are applied for the first time and he has a good draw in stall one, so seems likely to go well. 

13:40 - With three places on offer there is little point in taking on likely favourite Lockantanks in this claimer, as he is a really solid performer at this level and really ought to see us safely through. 

14:10 - If there is a blot on the handicap in this event then it has to be Hill Street, trained by John Gosden, who made a promising start to his career earlier in the season. However he hasn't been seen since winning at this venue in May and, whilst he could easily win this, we currently have a trio of places to aim at and will take two against him. Viewpoint was no match for Hill Street in the aforementioned maiden but he has improved since, finishing a good second at Kempton last week, and the suspicion is that he will make the running, which is no bad thing around here. Layline has always been better on the all-weather than turf and looks to be on a decent mark on his return to the surface, so seems likely to go close if anywhere near his best. 

14:40 - A competitive race awaits us in the final leg but it is hoped that California English and Fabled City and secure us the payout. The first mentioned made a decent start to life in handicaps earlier this year, striking as one to be interested in, but his form looked to have tailed off on his last three starts. However he is potentially well treated and may have been refreshed by a break of over three months. Fabled City improved to get off the mark at Epsom on his penultimate start and bettered that effort when third at Wolverhampton last time. He should be as effective at a mile and his consistency is just what we are looking for at this late stage. 

Selections:
12:10 - 8, 9
12:40 - 4
13:10 - 4, 5
13:40 - 1
14:10 - 4, 7
14:40 - 4, 5
= 16 lines

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