Andy Holding's Tuesday Horse Racing Tips

ALKASHAAF (NAP) (best price 5/1) may have only won by a narrow margin when breaking his duck at Chelmsford last time out, but that only tells half the story and Archie Watson’s charge, as a result, looks seriously underestimated in the market based on his amazing performance that day. Drawn in the outside box in a seven-strong field at the Essex venue, the son of More Than Ready had to race hard down the back straight to hold his position in the first few furlongs and by the time the runners had entered the home straight, it looked for all the world he was going to drop away as a result of those early exertions. Keeping on strongly down the lane, however, he defied conventional wisdom by finding extra reserves of energy to get up in the closing strides and it’s those likeable qualities that make this nicely-bred two-year-old such an interesting proposition going forward. Beginning his handicap life off a mark of 77 is by no means unimpeachable and given that he should get a sound enough pace to shoot at courtesy of Monticello and Atteq being in the line-up, a big run looks on the cards.

GENTLEMEN (best price 5-1) has been heavily involved in three barn-storming races on the figures recently and a repeat of either performances should see ensure he’s right in the thick of the action once again. Third to Justice Good in a strongly-run affair at Kempton three starts ago was backed up by another solid effort behind Jordan Sport in a similar heat at Wolverhampton next time and although he was only third of six back at the same track last time out, the figures the winner posted that day, Spring Loaded, it was no surprise that he couldn’t keep tabs on the Paul D’Arcy-trained winner who hit the ball out of the stadium on the clock. Although the son of Ad Valorem has yet to tackle today’s track, his deep-closing run style should be tailor made to how races often pan out here and he’s rates a decent each-way bet to hit the frame at the very least.