Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

Since fitted with the tongue-tie, cheekpiece combination, NABHAN (best price 7-1) has yet to run a bad race under both codes and following another sound effort over hurdles at Newton Abbot last time out, he returns to the Flat with a perfectly respectable chance of adding to his earlier Ffos Las gains. Quite impressive at the Welsh venue three starts ago when the new headgear was fitted for the first time, Bernard Llwellyn’s charge was only just denied by the in-form Authorized Too on his return visit eight days later and with his old rival that day now a non-runner, life has been made slightly easier for the five-year-old to regain the winning thread. Although he failed to add to his winning tally over hurdles when last seen 12 days ago, he clearly faced a stiff task trying to match strides with the well-handicapped Coeur Tantre down in the West Country, but as the winner has gone in again and the time figure was good, it was another indication that the Youmzain gelding is holding his form together nicely.

GRAMS AND OUNCES (best price 8-1) has been fairly busy for a horse of his advancing years of late, but that industriousness doesn’t appear to be affecting his form and the 10-year-old is fancied to go well again at a track where his form figures read 252411 on the Flat. Probably unsuited by Windsor when last seen, the son of Royal Applause cemented his love affair with the Welsh track with a victory over today’s C&D the time before and although he’s arguably better on a soft surface, he did manage to win on firm ground at Bath earlier in the campaign to put the mind at ease on that score. Hailing from a stable who had two big-priced winners last Friday, Grace Harris’ inmate has a decent chance of providing the Monmouthshire handler with more cheer.

Consistency is very much LORELINA’s (best price 10-1) calling card and she looks set to go well again at a track that she’s enjoyed plenty of success in the past. A winner here on her debut back in 2015, Andrew Balding’s inmate added to her collection on her next visit to the Surrey venue with an impressive victory in a competitive handicap a year later and although she’s failed in her bid to supplement those gains in six starts since, she’s still run to a fairly high standard in defeat. A creditable runner-up to Al Destoor at Chester when last seen, the daughter of Passing Glance probably found the soft ground counting against her that day, but now returning to a surface that suits her better, the four-year-old filly looks to have solid each-way claims in a race where the favourite, High End, takes a huge chunk out of the market.