Dundalk (AW) 8:00 Result

Camino Lad is a lightly-raced 3yo on a progressive curve - form figures 3241 show he's been running well and just won last time out. OR 78 gives him a fair weight of 132lbs, and Colin Keane takes the ride which signals stable/connections confidence from a strong yard (G.M. Lyons). His last-time win suggests he's still ahead of the handicapper and improving with racing experience. Draw 1 is workable at Dundalk AW over 1m2f. Rock Of Claremont (531 form, OR83) looks the biggest threat on pure ratings and is clearly progressive too, but he's topweight jumping into a much stronger context and his C&D claims are unproven - could go off short without matching value. Sakoku (9252) and Handshake (145) are also lightly raced improvers but Camino Lad's trajectory - three straight competitive efforts culminating in a win - combined with a red-hot jockey booking makes him the strongest case for continued progress. Several of the older, more exposed types (Slieve Binnian, Quatre Bras, Nakasero, Lough Leane, Steel Cut, Walhaan) look to have found their level or are inconsistent, capped by their ratings. Camino Lad looks the type to still be ahead of the assessor and the market price should reflect a fair rather than short price given the competitive nature of a 17-runner handicap, offering value relative to his upward trajectory.