Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

GRANNY BIDDY (best price 11-4) completely bossed a race similar to this 21 days ago and even though the handicapper has tried his best to put a fork in her chances on her return visit to the Co Mallow venue, Michael Winter’s inmate is fancied to easily brush aside her new mark. Three wins in her last four starts would have been total perfection but for a tactical error by Donal McInerney at Ballinrobe two outings ago (taken down the inside on the worst ground) but the young conditional made up for that schoolboy error with a more polished performance on the mare next time out. Always travelling best throughout, the daughter of Flemesfirth readily pulled clear of his rivals with a smart turn of foot in between the last two flights and her time figure, which turned out to be the best on the seven-race card, only furthered the credibility of the performance. 

Following an extremely promising performance at Navan on his first start for new connections, INSCRIBE (NAP) (best price 5-2) found the expected improvement when running out a comfortable winner on handicap debut at Gowran last time out and he looks to have been found another decent opportunity for further success before being wrapped up for the winter. Beginning life in his new discipline off what appeared a favourable mark, Ger Lyons’ charge impressed by the way he went about his work in the latter stages of a well-run contest at the Co Kilkenny venue and with himself and the runner-up, Admirality, pulling nicely clear of the rest, the both suggested they are two horses to follow for the foreseeable future. Given the way he stayed on strongly in final half mile, the son of Harlan’s Holiday looks to be crying out for a further and today’s test over a stiff track on soft ground should provide him with the perfect opportunity to back up that view.

The success story of LORD ERSKINE (best price 7-1) has been one of the most endearing features of the Irish Flat season and today’s race provides Harry Roger’s gelding with a chance to write another chapter into his personal diary. Beginning his winning run at Roscommon off a mark of just 54 back in August, three months later he’s now on a perch of 87 after victories in two extremely competitive handicaps and with the latest of those wins coming at the expense of numerous useful and seasoned staying handicappers in the Irish Cesarewitch (Wonder Laish, grand Partner, Gustavus Vassa and Western Boy all well and truly put in their places), it just goes to show how the son of Fast Company has come in short space of time. On the evidence of what we’ve seen of late, the stiffer the test the better for this lightly-raced and strong-galloping four-year-old, and he’s expected to be bang on the scene again with plenty in his favour.

As it’s transpired, ILEWINDELILAH (best price 4-1) faced an impossible task trying to keep tabs on Audacious Plan (won Durham National off 122 since) over today’s C&D last time out, but the fact she managed to finish well clear of the rest and doesn’t appear to be up against anything remotely of that class here this afternoon, she has bright prospects of gaining compensation. For a fleeting moment rounding the home turn and going down to the last Charlie Mann’s mare looked to be going better than the well-backed favourite 19 days ago, but in the end, she just couldn’t match the winner’s superior turn of foot and was eased down to finish a respectable second. Moreover, both herself and the winner clocked final circuit times better than the two 2m hurdle contests on the same card, so for a horse racing over 3m 2f and only rated 84, that was a hell of an achievement by the daughter of Grape Tree Road. Prior to that excellent performance on the figures, she’d benefitted greatly from both a step up in trip and the reapplication of blinkers and now returning to the scene of her best ever display off only a 2lb higher mark, the in-form nine-year-old rates a cracking each-way bet at her morning odds against what can only be described as a fairly motley crew.