Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

WENTWORTH FALLS (best price 16-1) isn’t the easiest to win with but as he often goes well in big-field handicaps at today’s track, he’s worth a small each-way interest at big odds. Yet to finish out of the money on all five starts this season, the six-year-old grey arrives here off the back of another solid effort at Thirsk last time out and if he hadn’t met for interference that forced him wide when making his challenge a furlong out, he would have probably finished a good deal closer than fourth. Usually held up for a late run, the straight course on Town Moor more often than not suits horses with a deep-closing run-style and providing he gets the breaks at the right time, Geoff Harker’s gelding has a sporting chance of adding to his victory here in a similar race last year.

Both DEMI PLIE (best price 5-1) and ROBIN ON THE HILL (best price 12-1) played a big part in the final half a mile’s worth of action to a very competitive mares’ only handicap her on day one of the festival and they look poised to involved to a similar extent over today’s C&D on their return visit.

The former, who fared best of the pair in chasing home the eventual winner, Humm Baby, backed up her previous success at Bellewstown and with the cheekpieces on again which seemed to have revitalised Padraig Roche’s mare of late, there’s no reason why she won’t go well again. The latter did remarkably well to finish as close as she did six days ago given that she was last with a circuit to run and she, too, has to come into the equation off the back of that eye-catching display, when she was last with a mile to run.

An unbelievably good weekend’s racing over in Ireland and for starters we have a potentially exciting clash between FOXTROT LIV (best price 5-1) and Trethias. The former hasn’t been seen out since slamming her rivals in tremendous style at the Curragh but the time figure she produced subsequent form of those in behind that day suggest connections are fully entitled to come here to try and gain some valuable black type. Seemingly suited by the step up in trip at the Co Kildare venue, the daughter of Foxwedge really opened up in the style of a very smart youngster to pull well clear in the closing stages and given that she’s better drawn than her main market rival, hopefully a better track position turning for home will help her get first run in the short straight.

There’s no doubt Trethias is a talented filly in the making and she would have been a big consideration for a bet here had she not bagged an unfavourable draw. That said, she did manage to overcome a poor track position at the Curragh last time out and that was off the back of her extraordinary effort first time out at Gowran. The safest option, however, on this occasion has to be to play Foxtrot Liv each-way at the prices.

Lah Ti Dar has really put the cat among the pigeons with her late inclusion and she could easily justify the decision to take on the boys, but equally, having stumped up the money to get her into the race, connections of MAID UP (best price 28-1) clearly feel that this race is up for grabs and it would come as no surprise to see this unheralded and massively-improved three-year-old pick up a large dollop of the pie. Unbelievably, Andrew Balding’s filly managed to get beat off a mark of just 67 in a modest handicap earlier in the season, but since then she really begun to thrive and her latest two performances just show what kind of level she’s at now. In making the classy Pilaster pull out all the stops in the Lilly Langtry at Goodwood two starts ago (God Given won out of race since), she marked herself down as a genuine pattern-race filly and just to prove that run was no fluke, she made short work of two useful types back at the same track last time out. Now rated 105, the daughter of Mastercraftsman thoroughly deserves to take her chance in this season’s final classic, and having won over the track before another notable plus, she should put that knowledge along with her proven stamina to good use.

On recent evidence, the three-year-olds dipping their bread against the older horses in Ireland appear to be a well-handicapped bunch, so with that in mind, SARACEN KNIGHT (best price 11-2) and ASTRONOMER (best price 13-2) are worth playing against the field in this cracking middle-distance affair. The former has clearly had his issues – hence the long break before his latest outing – but on the evidence of that winning performance at Naas, it was well worth the wait. Always travelling strongly at the heads of affairs, the son of Camelot quickened up impressive fashion to leave some useful and highly-regarded types well in his wake and with the clock also saying it was a smart performance, he looks one to keep on side going into the backend of the campaign.

The latter is on a bit of a roll at the moment and with his confidence taken to another level following a silky-smooth effort at Listowel in midweek, Aidan O’Brien’s likeable colt is a must for the shortlist. The mile maiden he landed at Galway back in July couldn’t have worked out any better and since he’s been stepped up to middle-distances he’s improved even further. Indeed, the further he went the better he looked at the Harvest Festival five days ago and it’s hard to put a figure on what he might be capable of while clearly in the rudest of health.

MAKING LIGHT (best price 7-2) quite rightly has swerved the almost impossible task of beating Alpha Centurai in the Group 1 Matron Stakes and she makes much more appeal in these slightly calmer waters. Highly-regarded right from the start, Dermot Weld’s filly has only once finished out of the frame in twelve career outings and she also has a fair record at today’s track as form figures of 131 testify. Arriving here off the back of big effort visually and on the clock at Cork last time out (quickened up well), the form of that contest has been boosted by both the runner-up Pincheck, and Panstarr since, and with a strongly-run affair likely to be the order of the day, the daughter of Tamayuz looks booked for a big display.

SIRJACK THOMAS (best price 18-1) was almost too fresh and well for his own good when strongly-fancied at Listowel three days ago and as a consequence, he paid for his early exertions in the testing conditions late on. Back on a more suitable surface to allow his qualities to flourish and nicely draw, this talented grey has rather slipped under the radar on the back of just one excusable performance and he can reward solid each-way support at a track where he’s also gone well in the past.

DANIELSFLYER (best price 12-1) and Safe Voyage are closely matched on their Galway encounter where there was just a neck between them at the line, but as the former was forced to race wide and forfeit ground throughout, he rates the value call of the pair to come out on top of their rematch. Having travelled well at Ballybrit, David Barron’s inmate was sent for home when he ran out of competition to carry him any further into the race and in the end that manoeuvre counted against him in the final analysis. The son of Dandy Man has gone on to run another cracking race in a valuable and top-class handicap at Goodwood and now nicely drawn here this afternoon in box seven, the four-year-old looks primed to go well over a track that should suit his run-style.