Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

Quite a few C&D winners bring solid claims to the table here, but the race won by COMPTON MILL (best price 12-1) could turn out to be the best of those and Hughie Morrison’s inmate is fancied to go well again in what looks an ultra-competitive affair. Placed on his only previous visit to Colwick Park, the son of Compton Place stayed on very gamely to overhaul his rivals inside the final furlong and with the time figure suggesting it was a decent race of its kind the form looked worth keeping on side. Indeed, back in the field that day, Miningrocks has already gone on to give the race the big thumbs up and as there looks to be plenty of pace on again today, the five-year-old has all he needs to put up another bold show. 

Unlucky that afternoon, INDIAN CHIEF (best price 8-1) hand the fickle hand of fate slap him in the face once again on his return visit to the track here last week and he simply has to go onto any shortlist. Although he is a bit of a hostage to fortune character, Rebecca Bastiman’s inmate has plenty of natural ability and providing he gets the rub of the green this time around, he, too, can be a key player in the final outcome. 

The form figures for ARTIC PEARL (NAP) (best price 7-2) hardly set the world alight, but he was clearly expected to show more than what had previously been seen prior to his latest effort and he would have done so but for capsizing late in the piece. Backed into 9-4 favouritism, Martin Brassil’s inmate had just taken up the running going down to the last when his jockey Roger Loughran appeared to lose his balance and exit out the side door and as the blame can be attached to a slipping saddle, one can count the six-year-old extremely unlucky. On the evidence of what we saw that day, it’s easy to draw to the conclusion he can be rated a winner without a penalty here this afternoon and against the same sort of opponents over a similar track, there’s no real reason why he shouldn’t go close to making amends.

Robyn Brisland seems to have his string in pretty decent shape at present and STEPNEY (best price 8-1) is fancied to keep up the good work for the Newmarket handler. Yet to run a bad race in five starts on the all-weather, the daughter of Mount Nelson ran right up to her best form in what turned out to be a keenly contested affair at Wolverhampton last time out and having shaped pretty well on her only previous visit to today’s venue, hope is high that she will prove another major factor on her return to the Surrey track.