Andy Holding's Friday Horse Racing Tips

The overall wellbeing of the Mark Walford stable has to be a slight concern regarding the chance of CORNBOROUGH (best price 4-1) (74 days and 14 runners without a win), but there’s no denying his strong claims from a pure form perspective, so hopefully he can provide some welcome relief for the Sherriff Hutton handler. A dual winner on the Flat this season, the son of Sir Percy made a perfectly respectable start to his hurdling campaign when finishing a close-up fifth behind Master Of Irony at the first meeting here 16 days ago and as that race was chocked full of quality and seemingly well-treated sorts, the performance has to go down as one of his best efforts so far to date. Although most of his best form is on decent ground, the six-year-old has proven himself under testing conditions in the past, and as there doesn’t appear too many dangerous floaters in today’s line-up, a positive display looks on the cards.

Back in the field that day, MINELLA FIVEO (best price 7-1) also ran with plenty of promise and he deserves a small interest to build on that encouraging seasonal reappearance. Off the track eight months prior to that comeback, Sue Smith’s inmate was noted keeping on quite well in the closing stages having got outpaced as the tempo increased from the home turn and given that he’s been successful twice in the past when the ground as been on the testing side, he certainly won’t mind the conditions today at the Yorkshire venue. 

It’s been a while between drinks for PEACE MISSION (best price 6-1), but the long wait to finally get her head back in front might not be too far away judged on her latest effort over today’s course a week ago. In a race run at a strong gallop throughout, Thomas Mullins’ charge looked like scoring when hitting the front inside the final furlong only to get her pocket picked in the shadows of the post by the fast-finishing Chicago School. Although that effort came over six furlongs, she certainly showed enough speed throughout for a drop back in trip not to be a concern and with the eighth horse home that night, Burren View Lady, giving a timely thumbs up to the form here two days ago, there’s a decent chance the daughter of Alfred Nobel can follow suit. 

HARMONYFORTHESTARS (best price 15-2) ran with plenty of promise on his debut over tonight’s C&D two weeks ago and with just normal improvement, he can play a much more significant role in this similar contest. In a race dominated in the betting beforehand by the 100-rated Massif Central and during the race itself, Johnny Murtagh’s colt probably had little chance of eclipsing a rival of that nature on paper and his task was made even more difficult after he was dropped right out the back in the early stages from his coffin box draw (stall 14 of 14). He, did, however, make some inroads into the lost deficit with a steady run from the rear down the home straight, and by the time he’d got to the line, he’d ticked off enough rivals to warrant an upgradable effort. Although he looks quite a big, lumbering unit, who probably wants further, he posted the sort of speed figure to suggest he’s not totally devoid of pace, and now much better draw here this evening compared to his starting point on debut, the son of Lope De Vega should turn out to be a dangerous floater in what appears, on paper, to be quite a weak maiden for the track standards.