Today's Racing News: Mexican to reward Murphy for Monday Musselburgh travel? - Betting.betfair

It's the calm before the storm this week as punters prepare for a Boxing Day bonanza, but first, we have three days of racing to find that last-minute Christmas value.

It's Monday, and punters have three meetings to scrape, burrow and forage for value at. Lingfield is where our feature race of the day comes from. In the Mark Your Card section, Musselburgh has some interesting angles, while Wolverhampton sees plenty of horses weighted to go well.

Money Talk

Money Talk continues to highlight the Betfair Sportsbook big-money moves to keep you in the loop. This section highlights market moves between 1:00 am and 9:00 am.

12:30 Lingfield - Missfit 14/1 into 10/1
13:30 Lingfield - Larcadio 10/1 into 13/2
14:15 Musselburgh - Coral Blue 9/1 into 7/1
15:30 Wolverhampton - Maytree Respite 25/1 into 11/1

The morning market drifter!

Which horse is the Betfair Sportsbook market suggesting to Lay?

16:30 Wolverhampton - Operating 2/1 OUT 11/4

Mark your card

The Betfair Sportsbook is paying extra places today!

In the opening 12:15 Every Race Live On Racing TV Maiden Hurdle, trainer Olly Murphy travels 314 miles to Musselburgh with Mexican Boy 2.915/8. Murphy has an excellent record at this venue with a 46% overall strike rate, a 50% strike rate over hurdles and has booked Katie O' Farrell to claim five pounds - see stat of the day. His runner sports the first time tongue-tie and takes on the promising, but hurdling debutant River Walk 2.47/5.

Jockey Charlie Todd has a 33% strike rate when riding for trainer Oliver Greenall. Today they partner in the 13:45 Racing TV Profits Returned To Racing Conditional Jockeys' Handicap Hurdle with Fraterculus 5.04/1.

Trainer Nicky Henderson has a healthy 21% strike rate in bumpers at Lingfield and today saddles Rudy Caprice 2.47/5 in the opening 12:30 Casumo Bet 10 Get 20 Open National Hunt Flat Race (run on the all-weather track).

Trainer Gary Moore has a 24% strike rate over fences at Lingfield. Today he sends Golden Boy Grey 5.04/1for his chase debut in the 14:30 Casumo Proud To Support British Racing Novices' Handicap Chase.

The 15:30 Gamble Responsibly With Casumo Handicap Chase looks very competitive for the grade. The market leader Gallic Geordie 3.55/2 represents trainer Samuel Drinkwater who has a two for five 50% strike rate at Lingfield over fences, and his runner has a 100% course record.

Dan Skelton's runner, War Call 4.03/1, has shown very little over hurdles, but the yards runners do improve for fences, and the trainer has a 45% strike rate here in this sphere.

At Wolverhampton in the 16:30 Play Coral Racing-Super-Series For Free Irish EBF Novice Stakes, it may pay to keep a close eye on John Gosden's newcomer Operating 3.02/1, who is superbly bred and represents a yard that has a 29% strike rate with their two-year-olds here.

Horses for courses

This section highlights horses that have won twice or more at today's tracks and could be in with a chance today.

13:15 Musselburgh - Broadway Joe - Has won here twice (67%)
15:30 Lingfield - Gallic Geordie - Has won here twice (100%)
16:00 Wolverhampton - Pink Jazz - Has won here three times (50%)
17:30 Wolverhampton - Hector's Here - Has won here three times (43%)
19:00 Wolverhampton - Critical Thinking - Has won here eight times (16%)

Weighted to go well

"Weighted to go well" highlights horses running that are more than 10lbs below their last winning handicap mark.

14:45 Musselburgh - Raecius Felix - Has won off 117 runs off 105
15:30 Lingfield - Finnegan's Garden - Has won off 112 runs off 95
15:30 Lingfield - Little Light - Has won off 117 runs off 98
16:00 Wolverhampton - Lofty - Has won off 70 runs off 53
18:30 Wolverhampton - Cagnat - Has won off 86 runs off 74
19:00 Wolverhampton - Mabre - Has won off 70 runs off 58

Form Watch

This section highlights a trainer, owner or jockey who is in excellent current form and their runners or rides for the day.

Jockey Sam Twiston-Davies has been in flying form in the last 14 days scoring with eight of his 34 runners for a 24% strike rate. He has also been profitable to follow with a return of £50 to a £1 level stake. Today he heads to Lingfield for two rides. Just Toby 13.012/1 in the 13:00 looks to be his best chance of a winner with Wicked West 13.012/1 in the 14:00 not sure to appreciate the heavy going.

Furthest traveller

Plenty of trainers today make long journeys, but trainer Brian Francis Cawley out-points the lot making the 358-mile journey from his base to Musselburgh with one runner. His representative is Presenting Dylan 6.511/2 in the 13:15 Watch On Racing TV Novices' Handicap Chase, who made a promising start over fences when fourth at Ayr last time and looks a potential improver - big chance.

Race of the day

We head to Lingfield today for their competitive 14:00 Casumo Horse Racing And Sports Betting Handicap Hurdle. A Class 2 event with seven runners on heavy ground and claims can be made for most, including this morning's well-supported favourite Calico.

Dan Skelton's Calico has been given some rest bite from the handicapper after a disappointing finishing effort at Haydock last time over 2m3f, and he is now six pounds lower than when starting out the season two runs ago.

The return to a deep surface is a positive given his action, and he is two for two under such conditions. He is still relatively unexposed, and the drop back to 2m looks a good move.

Interestingly, they applied a first-time tongue-tie at Haydock, though, which suggests there may have been a breathing issue and given he is a heavy ground 2m winner previously, it's hard to blame his latest effort on the extra three furlongs.

He had a wind surgery back in July but has failed to see out both of his races this term, and there is a slight concern that it may not have worked? Just a niggling feeling, but he is a likeable horse going the right way.

Monsieur Lecoq has proven to be a little inconsistent over the past 18 months, but he ran a blinder in better company over fences at Ascot on his penultimate start on soft ground, and his other recent win over fences came on heavy at Leicester.

He reverts back to hurdles for the first time since being rated 145 and today effectively runs off a handicap mark of 129 inclusive of the jockey claim, so he is weighted to go well today.

Conditions are in his favour, and although it's difficult to trust him fully, there are very few reasons as to why he won't run well.

Elham Valley is interesting on a couple of pieces of form from last season, notable his Boodles Juvenile third off four pounds higher, but he has been well below that on two starts this term. He has a good win to his name at Sandown last year for which he had today's rival Hudson De Grugy behind, and he is much better off at the weights today, although he failed to make that weight advantage pay on his latest outing when behind him and Miss Heritage when returned to Sandown.

It is hard to be confident in what to expect after his latest flop, and he may be best watched for now.

Big race verdict

It's a small but competitive field with an obvious favourite in Calico for a yard that does well at this Lingfield venue. However, it may pay to take a chance on MONSIEUR LECOQ to bounce back to form in these calmer waters.

He is a rare runner for the yard at Lingfield, and he has ideal conditions with form figures on soft or heavy ground this year, reading 2123, and this is his lowest handicap mark for more than two years.

Miss Heritage looks to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, with it being a struggle to suggest she is improving, while Hudson De Grugy needs a career-best. It could be Elham Valley that gives the selection most to think about in a trappy heat.

Timeform give punters a leg-up at Lingfield

Timeform's Tony McFadden highlights a Nap, Next Best and Each-Way selection at Lingfield on Monday.

Read Timeform tips here.

Final Word

We are almost there, and no, I am not talking about Christmas day; I am talking about Boxing Day - what a festive treat it is shaping up to be!

It's arguably, well, not arguably, the best period outside the Cheltenham Festival for National Hunt racing.

I can't wait, and as a punter, it does feel as though these three days this week are time fillers until the big boys come out to play, but hopefully we can sneak in some early value.

You will be happy to know that I will be producing a mega racing news Boxing Day column, and I will cram as much as possible in there to help up grab some Christmas presents in the best form - cash.

Until tomorrow, be lucky.

Follow Daryl Carter on Twitter @DarylCarter7