Andy Holding has been in great form this week and he's got a host of fancies today.
2.50 Ascot
The gap between top-quality handicap form and listed company isn’t that big a gap, and in the case of KNIGHTS TABLE (best price 7-1), he has enough natural ability to justify this step up in class. Steadily progressive as a three-year-old, James Tate’s charge looked better than ever based on his opening performance this season and the way he took apart the useful pair Fire Fighting and Tawdeea with a tremendous turn of foot late on, suggests he shouldn’t have too much trouble holding his own against what to all intense and purposes is a similar bunch of horses, class-wise.
3.10 Haydock
LONDON PRIZE (best price 14-1) never really figured in the Scottish Champion Hurdle last time out, but that was largely due to the fact the race wasn’t run at a breakneck pace and therefore he was rendered a little less effective as anticipated. Needing a strong gallop bring his stamina into play, Ian Williams’ charge was one of many who just got tapped for tow as the race developed into a sprint down the home straight, but the encouraging part of his performance was how well he kept on for pressure on the run-in after a bad blunder at the last. Prior to that respectable effort, the Teofilo gelding ran out a game winner of the Imperial Cup at Sandown back in March and, with a little bit of ease in the ground due to one or two showers in the area during the last 24 hours a major help, there’s every reason to be hopeful that he’ll outrun his early morning quotes.
3.55 Curragh
BEAUTIFUL MORNING (best price 4-1) shaped with the utmost promise on seasonal return for new connections and with likelihood of her being a good deal more effective now encountering better ground on a more galloping track, Jessica Harrington’s inmate rates a strong fancy. Winner of the Convivial Maiden at the York Ebor meeting as juvenile when formerly trained by Luca Cumani, she was only seen twice during her three-year-old career, but being as both performances created plenty of encouragement for the future, we should now really start to see the fruits of her early labour as an older horse.
4.00 Ascot
As ever, the obvious starting point in all these big, straight track handicaps at this track is previous form, so using that formula as a guide, the two to major on against the field at the prices are TAUREAN STAR (best price 12-1) and HORS DE COMBAT (best price 16-1). From the word go the former has taken a real liking to the surroundings of the Berkshire venue and with a run-style that suits the way that his pilot, Jamie Spencer, likes to adopt at the track, the combination have struck up a fine partnership. Even away from his happy hunting ground last time out, the pair looked to dovetail quite nicely at Yarmouth and with that victory achieved over a fairly sharp 7f, confidence is high that he can replicate that effort now back over a stiffer course. Although the latter is on a long, losing run, there are plenty of encouraging signs that the switch in stable recently may alter his career trajectory and he certainly seems to have more than a punchers chance of causing a slight upset based on his last three starts. Placed twice for Denis Coakley in decent handicaps out in the desert, the son of Mount Nelson returned from his winter holiday in decent nick and his effort when third in a well-run event at Bath last time out, comes out really well on the figures.
4.15 Lingfield
FOX TROTTER (best price 7-1) has been a little hit and miss since his gelding operation, but there were plenty of encouraging signs on his most recent outing at Goodwood to suggest he may be ready to turn the corner. In a well-run contest at the Sussex venue, Brian Meehan’s inmate really caught the eye by the way he finished off his race from the back of the field and with the handicapper amazingly given him 2lb back following that run, he can take full advantage of such leniency and put up a bold bid in a wide-open race.
7.30 Warwick
RED INDIAN (NAP) (best price 7-2) hasn’t been seen out for a while but hopefully it’ll be worth the wait as Ben Pauling’s charge rates a promising young hurdler with plenty of upside. A good winner of novice hurdle at Ffos Las back in December which has worked out well, the son of Sulamani just found the very heavy ground counting against him at Kelso when last seen, but now returning the action fresh as paint and on a surface more suitable to his flat-bred frame, a positive display should be forthcoming from this lightly-raced five-year-old.
