Newsboy's horse racing selections for Monday's five meetings, including Leicester Nap

EQUION has the ideal conditions to follow up a last-time-out course-and-distance score when he takes on nine rivals for the Happy Birthday Hamish Handicap (3.50) at Leicester today.

The ability to handle heavy ground will be at a premium at the Oadby course – and backers of Tony Carroll’s son of mudlark Mayson need have no worries on that score.

The six-year-old has won two of his 12 attempts on turf – and the going was officially ‘heavy’ on both occasions.

The first came at Nottingham in August of last year and Equion was back in business in a one-mile handicap at Leicester 13 days ago, coming home strongly to beat Astronomica by a length and a half.

A 5lb rise to a British Horseracing Authority rating of 68 is manageable – Danny Muscutt’s mount gained his Nottingham win from the same mark – and the Carroll stable continues in its usual impressive form.

At Redcar, TWO B TANNED is of interest in the Market Cross Jewellers Handicap (2.30).

We haven’t seen George Scott’s three-year-old since his third at Windsor in April but he’s bred to appreciate this step up from six furlongs to a mile and a quarter and, if he does, an opening mark of 56 is there to be shot at.

Monday's selections

AYR
12.47 CAMP BELAN
1.17 COUNTRY MILE
1.47 MAGICAL ARTHUR

2.20 RICKETY GATE
2.55 LOVE THAT
3.28 CARCACI CASTLE
4.03 DALSTON LAD

REDCAR
12.55 PHOENIX OF DREAMS
1.25 NATIVE INSTINCT
1.55 NOVELISTA
2.30 TWO B TANNED (NB)
3.05 NO RETREAT
3.40 THUNDER ROAR
4.15 TRAVEL CANDY

LEICESTER
1.05 CRESTA CAT
1.35 BE AN ANGEL
2.05 LAURENS DREAM
2.40 BELGRAVE
3.15 ALZAHIR
3.50 EQUION (NAP)
4.25 MARCHING MAC

NEWCASTLE
3.35 WEDDELL SEA
4.10 LAUDABLE
4.40 KISDON FORCE
5.15 MAISSARA
5.45 HERAKLES
6.15 SPIRIT OF APPLAUSE
6.45 HAVANA SKY
7.15 RUBELLITE
7.45 SPARTAN FIGHTER

SOUTHWELL
4.55 SCARBOROUGHWARNING
5.30 DARK LYRIC
6.00 TEXAS STARLIGHT
6.30 COMMANDER ATKINSON
7.00 DARLO PRIDE
7.30 DELTA LEGEND
8.00 KOKINELLI
8.30 KING OF YORK

DOUBLE: EQUION and TWO B TANNED