2.35pm Hamilton Tips & Betting Preview 07/05/2017

Two winning favourites in the last ten years and two winners for trainer Alan Swinbank as well (not the same horses though), and with a weight range from seven stone nine to nine stone seven the statistics are of precious little assistance. Mark Johnston has always had a well deserved reputation for his staying types and although top weight Sennockian Star (9/1 Each Way) has to give away twelve pounds and more to all his rivals, that is because he is the class act and a win is eagerly anticipated. Getting on a bit at the age of seven, his amazing eighty-eight starts have reaped fourteen wins and twenty-three places as well as over £300,000 in win and place prize money, and he may well have been found a pretty soft race today. Last timer out he wasn’t his usual self when a well beaten twelfth of fourteen at Kempton but everyone is entitled to an off day and as he has won off close to a stone higher and tries this trip and track for the first time, he seems the one to be on with Andrew Mullen riding him here for the third time.

Alan Swinbank clearly knows what is needed to take this (see above, and will look for a third win here with Busy Street (9/2) who has placed in all three races so far this season. Last time out at Catterick he was only beaten a neck and a nose over a mile and a half staying on strongly meaning he may well lap up this added trip but he has been put up three pounds for that effort and he may not find life as simple here though a place is still on the cards.

Kensington Star (7/2) is perhaps an interesting option as a maiden winner with any amount of improvement to come for trainer Keith Dalgleish, though the yard are hardly firing on all cylinders with one win from seventeen attempts in the last two weeks. The well bred Pivotal gelding only had the one run for Simon Crisford when third at Newcastle last June before moving to his new yard in April after which he was sent to Redcar to pick up a ten furlong maiden at odds of 11/4 by a running on length and a quarter. On breeding this trip may be pushing it and his rivals will be well aware of his possible limitations, but if he does stay he could get involved, and arrives here as a bit of an unknown quantity.

Continuing with those who won last time out and Renfrew Street (4/1) fits the bill after scoring by a short head over a mile and a half at Wolverhampton, running on late after missing the break when the stalls opened. He has won twice on the turf as well, though over much shorter (seven and a half furlongs and a mile and a quarter), and with an extra five pounds today he may find this that bit harder to win. Although Joe Fanning rides for trainer Mark Johnston he looks less well handicapped than the selection in this race though he could well be part of a stable one two today.

To end the early race preview it is worth adding Monjeni (9/2) to the list as the winner of his last two races sat right down at the bottom of the weights. He clearly stays further having won over the mile and three quarters at Wolverhampton in both races this year, and after his last win his trainer added “It was only a four-runner race in the end but the way it panned out Monjeni still had to do it the hard way. We will stick with the Flat for the time being but he looks the type who could make a nice hurdler in the autumn” suggesting plenty of stamina, and although upped in class this afternoon, it is always hard to knock recent winning form.