Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

DREAM MACHINE (best price 13-2) has run to a fair level since switching stables and following three solid performances in 0-87 company in recent times, today’s competition has to be seen a slight step down for Neil Mulholland’s gelding. A winner on his seasonal reappearance over today’s C&D, the son of Dream Ahead then endured a nightmare passage on his bid to follow up a month later and he eventually had to eased off once his winning chance had gone. Back to something like his best in a strongly-run affair at Newbury last time out, today’s ease underfoot should come as a welcome return for this heavy-topped gelding who hits the ground quite hard and he rates a fair each-way bet at the morning prices.

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH (NAP) (best price 15-2) has been largely below form so far this term, but there were signs over today’s course last time out that something can be saved from the wreckage and he’s worth a small interest to find out whether it comes courtesy of a return to the Yorkshire venue. Immediately switched left from his wide draw 25 days ago, Kevin Ryan’s gelding was clearly going to be ridden for a degree of luck from the back of the field and as it turned out, he ended up having none whatsoever from the two-furlong pole when bursting for some daylight. The way he travelled through the race up to that point and quickened up once out in the clear late on, however, suggested he would have gone very close with a better draw/smoother passage, and even though there has to be a small question mark whether dropping back a furlong is going to play into his strengths, a decent drawn and likely strong pace should enable him to offset that slight negative.

Silver River is likely to be a warm order following his promising effort over today’s C&D last time out, but his position in the market does open up some potentially each-way thievery to be obtained with EARLY SUMMER (best price 4-1) and he rates the percentage call at the morning odds. Promising when third on debut at Ffos Las, Hughie Morrison’s filly went one place better by chasing home the useful hurdler, Verdana Blue (won easily at Kempton yesterday), at Chelmsford last time out and with the speed figure of that race at the Essex track suggesting it was a fair race of its kind, she patently took a huge step forward from her initial outing. Although she couldn’t quite match the eventual winner in the closing stages that night, she did manage to finish in front of the useful pair, Maybe Today and Petit Palais, and providing the daughter of Sea The Stars runs to a similar level here this evening, she’s expected to push the favourite all the way.