Free horse racing betting preview and tips for Monday December 16
Nick Robson makes Astrozone his best Monday bet and has a tip for every race in the UK and Ireland.
NAP: Astrozone 5.40 Wolverhampton
Next best: Highet Sun 12.10 Plumpton
Astrozone has never run a bad race during her short career to date and can finally get off the mark in the Ladbrokes Where The Nation Plays Nursery Handicap at Wolverhampton.
Trained by Bryan Smart, the Fast Company filly caught the eye at Beverley on her debut in August and has continued to show she has more than enough ability to win races.
Very green on the Westwood in the summer, she had the tricky outside stall and went violently left, but was noted making ground late on without ever threatening the winner, Galadriel.
Sent to Catterick a fortnight later, she found just one too good in Romantic Vision, who is now rated 83 having defied a penalty on his next outing.
It was back to Beverley for her next race, where yet again she showed up well to finish third behind James Tates's Magical Journey, who went on to be second in Listed company on her only other start, with a subsequent winner in second.
On her most recent outing Astrozone tried the Fibresand at Southwell and was second again. While it would be unfair to say she did not handle the Fibresand, she is likely to be better at Dunstall Park.
John Gosden is carrying all before him on the all-weather this season - barely a week goes by without him introducing another seemingly high-class colt.
Whether Godhead goes on to greatness remains to be seen, but he made the perfect start to his career when winning at Kempton.
To be only making his racecourse debut in the November of his three-year-old campaign suggests he has been tricky to train, but the fact he was 8-1 while stablemate Sheriffmuir was the 13-8 favourite bodes well.
The runner-up might not be the most reliable as he has been beaten again since, but Godhead is entitled to improve a good deal for the first run of his life.
He can defy a penalty in the Bombardier British Hopped Amber Beer Novice Stakes.
Punting is one to be with in the Ladbrokes Home Of The Odds Boost EBF Novice Median Auction Stakes.
The Richard Hughes-trained filly made late progress over seven furlongs on debut at Kempton in a race won by a stablemate, and looked for all the world as though another furlong would be right up her street.
She gets that here and just normal improvement from her first outing should see her firmly in the mix.
Colin Tizzard's Highest Sun has had the misfortune to bump into two pretty smart rivals on his last couple of outings and may get his day in the sun in a two-runner affair for the J.H. Builders Novices' Chase at Plumpton.
He developed into being a pretty decent hurdler last season and was not totally unfancied for the Coral Cup at the Cheltenham Festival.
He resumed this season still over timber at Chepstow and while he was a beaten favourite, he was not disgraced when third to Speed Company.
Unfortunately for him he then made his chasing debut against Champ, already favourite for the RSA in March, and then he took on Nicky Henderson's Pym at Ascot - form which was well advertised when the winner followed up at Cheltenham on Friday.
On both occasions Highest Sun did very little wrong and hopefully he can open his account, although the sticking point is his only rival, Diablo De Rouhet from the Henderson yard, looks pretty useful himself.
Sporting Life tips:
FFOS LAS: 12.30 Out The Glen, 1.00 Chez Castel Mail, 1.30 Adman Sam, 2.05 Thomas Macdonagh, 2.35 Deja Vue, 3.10 Lac Sacre, 3.45 Fanfaron Dino.
NAAS: 12.20 Golden Nomad, 12.50 Tritonix, 1.20 Henry Brown, 1.55 Kilmurry, 2.25 School Boy Hours, 3.00 Lacken Bridge, 3.30 Daphne Moon.
PLUMPTON: 12.10 Highest Sun, 12.40 Darkest Day, 1.10 Mr Perfect, 1.45 Battle Of Ideas, 2.15 Scrutinise, 2.50 Minella Voucher, 3.20 Mountain Leopard.
WOLVERHAMPTON: 4.05 Luna Magic, 4.40 Doctor Jazz, 5.10 Good Answer, 5.40 ASTROZONE (NAP), 6.10 Punting, 6.40 Isobar Wind, 7.10 Godhead, 7.40 A Place To Dream.
DOUBLE: Astrozone and Highest Sun.
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