Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

The combination of Black Corton and Bryony Frost has arguably been the best storylines from this season’s jump season so far to date and it would be great for the game if the duo teamed up for another big-race success, but they won’t have things all their own way with the lurking presence of MS PARFOIS (best price 2-1) in the field and Anthony Honeyball’s charge is taken to spoil the party. Going from strength to strength over fences, this scopey mare has made a really favourable impression on her last two starts and with solid jumping and stamina to match her two key attributes, today’s examination under testing conditions might just favour her more than the short-priced favourite. Amazingly, a mare has never won this race in its history, but providing the daughter of Mahler can handle going right handed for the first time over fences (10-11 of her runs have been anti-clock wise), she certainly has the qualities to win at this level.

Having beaten a decent field of novices in likeable style over today’s course back in November, there’s an argument to be made that KILDISART (best price 7-2) should be clear favourite to win this and with his yard now coming into form after spending the thick end two months out in the wilderness, Ben Pauling’s inmate can provide the Gloucester handler with his seventh winner in the space of 10 days. Although he failed in his bid to follow up next time at Kempton, he certainly lost nothing in defeat in a period when his yard couldn’t buy a winner, and likely to be given a pretty aggressive ride from the front, this game son of Dubai Destination can make them all go.

Although chalked up as the outsider here, VIVAS (best price 25-1) would appear to have a better chance than his odds imply and he’s worth a small each-way interest at the morning prices. Despite soft ground being far from ideal on his last two starts, he’s still managed to run to a decent standard, and if it wasn’t for being virtually brought to a standstill when Oxwich Bay fell directly in front of his path four from home here last time, he would have finished a good deal closer than fifth given the way he stayed on again in the closing stages. Off his light weight with cheekpieces on for the first time, the seven-year-old should easily outrun his odds.

MAKE MUSIC (best price 6-1) failed to show her best form here last time out, but as there mitigating circumstances, she’s afforded another chance in a race where there looks to be a million different possible permutations. Having run well on her comeback run in a decent contest in December, Andrew Balding’s inmate was a warm order to get the better of her three rivals 38 days ago, but unfortunately, her inexperienced pilot got hooked up in an unnecessary joust for the lead with her main market rival, Soul Silver and, as a result, they both set the race up nicely for the more patiently ridden Pattie. Hopefully, her pilot today will take a lead off likely front-runners, Early Morning and Reflektor and try and pounce late.

It’s been a while since Donald McCain had a batch of proper Saturday horse’s worthy of running in some of the top Graded events, but in the shape of UPPERTOWN PRINCE (best price 14-1) (his other being Fin And Game), he has a young novice hurdler that more than deserves a crack at a race of this nature. A convincing winner of a decent maiden hurdle in a good time at Bangor on his rules debut, the son of Strategic Prince was understandably a warm order to confirm the impression he created that day when he returned to the North Wales track a month later. Unfortunately, the six-year-old had the misfortune to bump into the progressive Samuel Jackson who just had too much firepower for him in the latter stages, but with the speed figure once again confirming it was a decent race and the pair pulling miles clear of the rest, he certainly lost nothing in defeat. Indeed, if you use Shannon Bridge as a guide, who went on to finish just ahead of Samuel Jackson in a Grade 2 at Doncaster next time out, and take into account Donald McCain had the runner-up against Coole River last time out who wouldn’t be in the same class as Uppertown Prince, there’s no way he should be a 16-1 chance here.

In total contrast to his poor run when slowly away on dirt on carnival debut, MOUNTAIN HUNTER (best price 2-1) responded well to a more positive ride back on turf here last time out and from the box seat in stall one, Saeed Bin Suroor’s inmate can boss this again from the front. Given a lovely ride throughout by Christophe Soumillon, the son of Lonhro gradually wound up the pace turning out of the back straight and pointing his toe all the way to the line, he readily pulled clear of a useful field. Time figure-wise, it wasn’t a bad effort on the clock, too, by the four-year-old, and although he faces one or two tricky opponents, particularly from his own Godolphin set up, he can gain the bragging rights.

Only the very well handicapped horses can overcome the stall 14 box with relative ease at the Surrey venue and having achieved that feat and followed up her previous C&D win, HAPPY ESCAPE (NAP) (best price 7-4) is strongly fancied to complete the hat trick. Dropped in to give her every chance of counteracting the draw, Neil Mulholland’s inmate still had plenty to do as they turned into the home straight, but finding a nice turn of foot inside the final two furlongs, she fairly scampered clear in the closing stages. Moreover, her overall speed figure and closing sectionals suggests she’s well ahead of her mark at present and there’s plenty of reasons to believe she’s done extremely well to escape with only a 6lb hike given what she had to overcome in the run.