Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

Lightly-race three-year-olds with little to go on are always notoriously difficult to assess, but on the evidence of his victory over today’s course last time out, there’s a decent chance SILVERKODE (best price 8-1) can prove his worth on his first outing in handicap company. Having run well on debut in a period when his yard was totally out of form, Joseph Murphy’s charge was nicely backed to make the necessary strides forward second time up and he didn’t disappoint. Despite dropping back down in trip, the Kodiac gelding proved way too strong for his 12 rivals 22 days ago, and in hitting the line really hard after looking in trouble a furlong out, he left the impression there could be significantly more to come over further.

Despite his poor run over today’s course the time before, SEVERUS (best price 11-1) bounced back to clock the kind of speed figure when winning at Limerick last time out that has to make him of some sort of interest in a race of this of this nature. Probably undone by the mile trip when racing at the Co Kildare venue for the first time, Des Donovan’s inmate was a totally different proposition when dropped back to today’s distance 15 days ago and with the form of that race at the Munster working out well with the likes of Alans Pride and Guanabara Bay all running to a decent standard subsequently, the seven-year-old gelding has to go onto the shortlist with his useful apprentice on board again.

Naggers is easily the one with the most natural ability amongst this field and it’s only a matter of time before he claims one of these big pots, but whether five furlongs - albeit a stiff one – on a drying surface is what he requires to be at his best is very much open to question and he is passed over on this occasion in favour of the more-favourably priced PATUANO (best price 20-1). Steadily working her way up through the ranks, the daughter of Choisir arrives here on the back of a career-high performance when runner-up to the potential Group-horse in waiting, Son Of Rest, but with the pair pulling well clear of the rest of the field, it was certainly an effort of some merit on only her sixth career start. A strong traveller through her races, she will be probably better served by taking a lead rather than trying to force the issue as she did 22 days ago, and being drawn next to quite a bit of pace, hopefully things should pan out nicely for Willie MCreery’s inmate late on.

In what looks a cracking renewal of this valuable mid-summer jumping prize sure to be run a furious gallop, FACT OF THE MATTER (best price 16-1) can go well having proven himself to be well-suited by a strongly-run race at Aintree last time out. On only his sixth start over fences, Jamie Snowden’s inmate produced a career-high performance in finishing a creditable third behind the very smart Virgilio (previously third behind Might Bite in a Grade 1) and if he’d not met for interference which caused him to lose valuable ground rounding the home turn (had two horses dropping back in his lap), there’s no doubt he would have finished a good deal closer. Indeed, the way he came home strongly after the last suggests he might have even given the winner something to think about had he obtained a smoother passage at that crucial point of the race, but at least he now gets a chance to put that theory to the test in a much bigger pot off the same mark. Fresher than most having avoided most of the winter due to soft ground, the unexposed seven-year-old arrives here at fever-pitch with conditions very much in his favour and if he can get into the same sort of jumping rhythm he did 44 days ago, a big run looks on the cards despite his tallish morning price quotes.

As Capri proved here yesterday, jockey bookings regarding Ballydoyle runners can be very misleading, causing the market to be skewed, and that looks to be the case again here with BUTTERSCOTCH (NAP) (best price 9-2) chalked up at a much bigger price than the Ryan Moore-ridden Clemmie. Although beaten by one of main rivals here today, Gasta, on debut and on her second start when a short-priced favourite, Aidan O’Brien’s inmate looked a totally different proposition when ridden more prominently with a bit of give underfoot last time out at Naas. Always travelling sweetly, the daughter of Galileo pulled readily clear of her field without breaking sweat and in clocking a decent overall speed figure and, just as importantly, better sectionals than the older horse handicap half an hour later on the same card, she has all the tools necessary to mix it in much better company.

ZEFTAN (best price 6-1) is building up quite a portfolio of big performances at today’s track and following another notable success at the Co Kildare venue here the other night, everything looks rosy in the garden for another positive display from Adrian Keatley’s inmate. Always moving well here in the apprentice Derby, the Bachelor Duke gelding readily pulled clear of his field in the latter stages and with the time figure he posted suggested he’d run to a career-high best, he should prove quick enough to cope with the shorter trip here this afternoon.

As he’s proved numerous times over the years, Jimmy Moffatt is a very dangerous man at his local track and having saddled Lough Kent to land the big pot here on Friday, there’s more than a fair chance stable mate FIOSRACH (best price 7-2) can follow suit. Although beaten by his old rival here last time out, I’m sure if his pilot that day, Ross Chapman, had a chance to ride the race differently, he would do so in a heartbeat. Hitting the front going well two out, the relatively inexperienced conditional unfortunately forgot how far from home it is from the wood side to the line at the Cumbrian track and in the end, he got picked off by the more patient/efficiently ridden winner (he also momentarily stopped riding close home having mistook the winning post). Prior to that unfortunate episode, the son of Bachelor Duke had run a blinder on his first run for new connections when third behind the useful Caius Marcius in a hot race at Wetherby and a repeat of that performance alone would make him a massive player in this contest with an excellent amateur booked for good measure.