Andy Holding's Monday Horse Racing Tips

SUCH A LEGEND (best price 7-2) has a terrific record in small fields so today’s assignment looks the perfect platform to keep his current run of form going in an upward trajectory. Off the track for 286 days, Kim Bailey’s inmate scored for the first time in three years when jumping boldly to make all the running at Chepstow back in April and although he failed in his bid to follow up at Southwell last time out, he still performed with great credit. Despite setting stern fractions, the son of Midnight Legend just couldn’t quite fend off the persistent challenge of Minella Aris in the latter stages, but with the pair pulling well clear and the time figure suggesting it was a very good race of its kind, the nine-year-old is fancied to get back in the winner’s enclosure with an uncontested lead almost guaranteed.

LIMITED RESERVE (best price 5-1) ran really well in a very competitive handicap hurdle on the final day of the jumps season at Sandown and while today’s race appears a similar one quality-wise, the shorter trip and smaller field might just help his cause. Ultimately forced to make up a considerable amount of ground up in the hottest part of the race at the Esher venue, Christian Williams’ charge ended up paying dearly for that manoeuvre in the latter stages as his run petered out up the hill, but even in finishing fifth, he still ran to a fair level. Prior to that decent effort, the five-year-old intimated he could be a well handicapped horse for new connections with a big performance in 17-strong field at Haydock and as he has plenty of previous soft ground form in the book, today’s predicted rain shouldn’t inconvenience him as much as others.

DEANS ROAD (NAP) (best price 10-1) ran a good deal better than his final finishing position suggested in the big novices’ handicap at the Cheltenham Festival and he must have some sort of chance here based on the theory he would have gone close that day. Popping away nicely in a lovely rhythm in second place heading out into the country, Henry De Bromhead’s inmate over-jumped and slithered to the ground at the first down the back straight and in losing valuable momentum and many lengths, his race looked to be affectively over. Rallying in tremendous fashion, however, the eight-year-old gelding somehow worked himself back into contention, so much so, that he still looked like one of the likeliest going down to the last. Not surprisingly though given what happened, he did fade on the run-in up the hill, but at the same time he still managed to finish ahead of some big names that had a far easier passages through the race. Prior to that excellent display at Prestbury Park, the son of Golan had proven his liking for today’s course with victory over subsequent National Hunt Chase hero Tiger Roll and set to race off his old rating back on home soil, he looks poised to run a huge race with seemingly plenty in his favour.

CLUB WEXFORD (best price 9-2) is about as reliable as a Swiss clock and his consistent level of form makes him a very appealing each-way bet in this contest this afternoon. Very rarely out of the money, Jim Bolger’s inmate got his reward for many fine placed efforts with a victory at Limerick two starts ago and with the time figure suggesting he ran to a career-high level that day, it was understandable he was a warm order to follow up next time out Leopardstown. Although he couldn’t manage the feat, the six-year-old still had to be carried out on his shield in finishing third to the equally-tough Geological and being as his has loads of form under a variety of different conditions, and rain around in the area today won’t bother him either way.