Monday racing tips: Andy Ayres talks all the biggest gambles landed through the week and picks out his best bet for Monday’s racing

WHAT A CARRY ON we had at Sandown Park on Saturday.

Sid James and his gang would have struggled to swallow the script of the EBF Novice Hurdle Final, where the judge and stewards called an incorrect result after the photo-finish was taken from the wrong winning post.

This finish was a proper slow-motion bobber, and it certainly didn’t feel kosher when a picture flashed up on the big screen showing One For Rosie a giraffes neck in front.

Bookies were busy dishing out the dosh when a correction was announced and then had to dip into their hods again to pay on the real winner Third Watch.

That cost them plenty and left the likes of big Barry Dennis squawking that he’d done £20,000 in cold blood.

The track hardly bust a gut to keep punters updated and plenty of first-time racegoers went home with no idea of what had occurred, or that they might have backed a winner.

It was a cock-up of the first degree and if the current crop of stewards and judges can’t read a race or photo we might as well nip down to Specsavers and find some replacements before the shops shut.

AGENT POPHAM Former rider Ian Popham off to a flying start as a jockey's agent

Jockey Chester Williams boiled himself down to a career low 9st 8lbs to ride heavily punted Monsieur Lecoq (6-1 to 7-2) in the Imperial Cup.

Bearing in mind the kid stands a couple of hairs taller than Peter Crouch, he’d clearly spent days wasting and didn’t look strong enough to punch the skin off a rice pudding.

That could have been crucial, as the horse wilted close home and was nailed by Paul Nicholls’ Malaya. The winner will cop a £100,000 bonus if he can follow-up at Cheltenham and heads for the County Hurdle on Friday.

Talking of Cheltenham, I’m told the Nicholls team are sweet on Topofthegame (2.10, Wednesday), but reckon Magic Saint (4.50 Friday) is the week’s banker.

Richard Johnson’s rain dance looks like working and he’s napping Native River in Friday’s Gold Cup, while sharp as a tack Daryl Jacob is strong on Janika (4.10, Thursday).  

Back on the AW, Nahham (6-4 to 7-2) drifted like the Kon-Tiki before making a winning debut over 7f at Kempton, where the real was story strong finishing third Azets.

Jockey Martin Dwyer wouldn’t have spent too long in the shower after his powder-puff effort on this one and was double lucky the stewards didn’t invite him into their office for an interrogation.

Every man jack on the track was pleased to see little Danny Brock ride a treble at Lingfield on Friday.

Danny was the subject of persistent verbal bullying after agreeing to ride during the trainer’s boycott of ARC tracks last week.

The thing is, this fella’s got a mortgage to pay, young daughters to feed and no option but to try and earn a living.

MYPLACEATMIDNIGHT (2.20) will be hard to beat at Plumpton today, while Marco Botti’s improving HOULTON (7.30) is weighted to go close at Kempton.

VEGATINA (6.30) might be the best bet on that card. John Gosden’s filly split a couple of well fancied blue-bloods last time and has enough early boot to make light of a difficult draw.