Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips & Preview

The feature of so many of Ben Pauling’s winners of late has been their tenaciousness and appetite for a battle in a close finish (at least three headed and fought back) and LINENHALL (NAP) (Best price 2-1) displayed all those characteristics and more when he scored at Stratford on his hurdling debut. Setting out to make it a proper test, the son of Stowaway just kept grinding out the fractions when others were seemingly going better turning for home and despite being momentarily headed by the eventual runner-up, he wrestled back the prize close home. Both the second and the third that day have gone to boost the form subsequently (Shannon In Milan may have won over fences the other day but for tipping up two out) and with another aggressive ride in the pipeline, the game five-year-old should prove a tough nut to crack. The Devils Drop rates the main threat having run promisingly in race at Chepstow which is beginning to work out well (Mister Malarky scored at Kempton on Monday).

Providing The Devils Drop runs well in the opener, that will be another shot in the arm for the novice hurdle won by Chooseyourweapon last month and having run well to finish a creditable third, NOW MCGINTY (best price 7-1) makes plenty appeal off what seems a reasonable mark on handicap debut. Although the son of Stowaway was flat to the boards for most of the journey, he kept on well enough to suggest a stiffer test would suit, so it’s no great surprise that connections have sourced one of the biggest influences of stamina in the country and he should come up the hill better than most.

CABERNET D’ALENE (best price 3-1) patently didn’t get home over 2m 3f here last time out, but he makes plenty of appeal now dropping back to a trip which allowed him to run to a career-high the time before. Impressive at Newton Abbot back in September, Nick Williams’ inmate looked for large periods of his latest effort like he was going to follow up, but the combination of a fast pace and big weight finally took its toll late on. However, based on his overall time figure and sectionals that day, he ran a good deal faster than Serveontime, who was runner-up in the 2m handicap on the same card (would be a decent match bet involving the pair), so using those findings as a guide, he should not only finish ahead of Helen Nelmes’ inmate, but prove the biggest danger to the four-timer seeking Ambre Des Marais.

MYSTIC EMBARR (best price 14-1) has been more miss than hit in his career so far to date, but he did run way above expectations last time out in what turned out to be a strongly-run race for the grade, so he’s worth a small interest in the hope he can replicate that sound effort. Although he couldn’t quite match the finishing power of the front two 23 days ago, he did pull nicely clear of the rest, and with the smart conditional, Donal McInerney an eye-catching jockey booking, the Kutub gelding is worth a roll of the dice at a big price.