Andy Holding's Tuesday Horse Racing Tips

JOUEUR BRESILIEN (best price 9-2) shaped with a good degree of promise on his UK debut at Ffos Las two weeks ago and in a race where not too many can be strongly fancied, Rebecca Curtis’ inmate rates a solid each-way bet. The way he moved throughout that well-run contest at the Welsh venue he looked as though he may win going down to two out, but the combination of being off the track for 404 days and the strong-finishing pair of Red Indian and Jameson just did for him in on the run-in. Likely to much straighter after that initial outing, the son of Fuisse should find conditions and stiff track to his liking and he can go some way in recouping some of the 140k spent on him during the summer.

The form of the race won by POBBLES BAY (best price 9-2) at Uttoxter 45 days ago couldn’t have worked out any better (five individual winners since including Poker School twice) and even though the ground could have done with being a little softer for Evan Williams’ charge, he still should have far too much quality for his seven opponents. A useful 125 hurdler, the son of Oscar, however, has always been regarded as a fine chasing prospect by connections and on the evidence of what we saw both visually and on the clock at the Midland track, they look as though their opinions are well and truly justified. In staying on best of all off brutal fractions, the lightly-raced six-year-old powered his way to victory once on top after two out and with stamina very much to be his key attribute, today’s stiff track and a step up in trip should really bring out all the best in this exciting prospect.

TWO SMOKIN BARRELS (NAP) (best price 6-4) impressed by the way she jumped and travelled before running out a clear-cut winner on his chasing/seasonal debut over today’s C&D and she’s strongly fancied to back up that performance under similar conditions. Being a former pointer, there was a degree of hope that she would make the grade over the larger obstacles, but all the same, she must have delighted connections by the way she operated at the Yorkshire venue. Indeed, on closer inspection of her display that day, it reveals that she ran the last circuit in a similar time to Its’Afreebee who took the novices’ chase off a mark of 140, so it’s quite clear that a miserly 6lb penalty isn’t going to be enough to prevent Michael Scudamore’s inmate from winning again with a clear round.

As ever, a brutally difficult race to solve, but there is a couple lurking down towards the foot of the weights in the shape of OSCAR KNIGHT (best price 16-1) and IT CAME TO PASS (best price 25-1) that maybe capable of making their presence felt. The former ran out an impressive winner of a competitive handicap at Navan last time out and being as though the strongest part of his race was the latter stages, Thomas Mullins’ charge, who is unexposed at today’s trip, looks just the type to benefit for a step up to 3m. The latter represents a team who had a welcome winner here yesterday and given the campaign this lightly-raced sort has encountered; he looks to have been saved especially for this big pot. Runner-up in the big pre-Cheltenham hunter chase over today’s C&D last season (On The Fringe well beaten in behind), Jim Culloty’s charge was in the process of running a huge race in the Foxhunter’s itself until departing the scene going well three out and having just had the one run so far this season, which developed into a spin around the back of the field over two miles just to blow away the cobwebs, he should be somewhere close to fever-pitch.

ASO (best price 2-1) left the impression he would have won the Caspian Caviar Gold Cup had he not walked through the second last and he’s taken to back up that view in this much weaker-looking affair. A very smart novice last season dining at the top table throughout, Venetia Williams’ charge has now performed to a very high standard in two of the season’s best 2m 4f handicap chases and this model of consistency will hopefully get his big chance to shine with plenty in his favour.