'Not many that can be fancied against him on form' - Wednesday’s Lucky15 tips

Dundalk stages a typically competitive seven-race card on Wednesday, the action kicking off under the lights at 15:20 with an informative 5f juvenile maiden and concluding with four handicaps, the last of which is scheduled for 18.35.

Below are our four recommendations for a Lucky 15.

15:20 Dundalk - Fox In Flight

A drop back to 5f is a bit of a question mark for David Marnane’s Fox In Flight, but he sets a fair standard on ratings and didn’t look short of pace when runner-up over 6f at Dundalk in October.

Fox In Flight is by Cityscape, who excelled for Roger Charlton in Britain at a mile, but his dam, Flying Foxy did win over 5f and he was collared close home when finishing third over 7f back at this track three weeks ago.

There’s really not many that can be fancied against him on all known form and he looks worth the majority of his current official mark of 78 - the chestnut gelding running to Racing Post Ratings of 76 and 74 on his two previous visits to the Irish venue.

15:55 Dundalk - Independent Expert

Stephen Thorne is a young trainer going places and his runners are in a rich vein of form at present, with three of his last six having won.

That bodes well to the chances of Independent Expert, who will relish the return to 7f, having run out of puff in the latter stages when third in this grade over a mile at Dundalk three weeks ago.

Independent Expert had won a claimer over this course-and-distance the previous month and is very hard to pick holes in, having run to Racing Post Ratings in the mid to high 80s on a regular basis since joining this stable from Andrew Slattery in the spring.

He gets first-time blinkers added on this occasion and that could just conjure up a bit of improvement.

17:25 Dundalk - Eric Lock

Noel Meade’s Eric Lock is admirably consistent, having finished in the money on each of his four visits to Dundalk this term.

He finds winning difficult, as highlighted by his career record of 1-26, but he’s one you can pretty much set your watch by around this track and looks one of the likelier types in a trappy handicap.

The three-year-old has been ridden by an inexperienced 10lb claimer the last four times, but there is the hope that a change to 7lb claimer Sam Coen, who has partnered 26 winners in Ireland from 308 rides, could just eek out enough improvement to see him supplement May’s Down Royal success.

17:55 Dundalk - Badger’s Cove

A meeting at Dundalk rarely goes by without a Denis Hogan-trained winner and it’s hard to see Badger’s Cove being far away in this nursery, given the authority in which he won over course-and-distance a fortnight ago.

The son of Bangkok showed ability earlier in the year for Kevin Coleman, including when third in a Fairyhouse claimer in September.

However, he’s seemingly found improvement since moving yards and switching to the AW, beaten a length over 7f at this track at the start of last month, prior to opening his account in first-time blinkers by a ready two-and-a-half lengths under Colin Keane.

With Keane riding in Britain on Wednesday, Joey Sheridan is an able deputy and a 5lb rise ought not to be enough to prevent him following up.