Hamilton Tips: Racecard, analysis and betting preview for the feature race today

IT’S a busy Friday on the racecourse. While the quality may lack in some quarters, there are plenty of punting opportunities on Derby-eve.

We head to Hamilton for our Race of the Day, the Watch Replays On racingtv.com Handicap (5.20). Callum Jamieson takes a closer look.

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The second division of the extended mile handicap looks more competitive than the first.

Plenty of the big northern yards hold strong hands here, but it is David O’Meara’s runners that make most appeal.

His Hortzadar burst onto the scene last year when moved across from France with two easy wins. He followed them up later in the year and is now lower in the weights than the last of his wins.

Soft ground will not be an issue for him and he has to be a big player here dropped back in class. He was well beat at Royal Ascot, so keep an eye on him in the market.

But it’s his stablemate STAR SHIELD who I prefer. He doesn’t strike you as being so well-handicapped as some in here, but really caught the eye when fancied last time out.

From too far back he came home strongly to suggest a win shouldn’t be far away.

He goes best with some juice in the ground and the return to a softer surface is another plus.

The yard are in decent nick and have a 20% strike rate at Hamilton in recent seasons.

Rousayan ran in the same Redcar race last time and could only manage fourth. But he faced traffic problems there and could improve on that here.

Trainer Roger Fell has had a terrific start to the season and he’ll likely be popular here with good reason.

Cymraeg Bounty is best watched on his first start in two years. Brian Ellison’s Highest Mountain showed little on his first start in Britain last time – keep tabs on any market moves.

The main danger may be Tim Easterby’s Storm Ahead. He may just need a bit more help from the handicapper, though.

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