Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

Marias Benefit is predictably a warm order here having made a bright start to her chasing career at Newton Abbot, but at the same time the market seems to have seriously underestimated JESTER JET (best price 9-4) and Tom Lacey’s gelding rates the value call to topple the favourite in what looks a match between the pair on paper.

Only rated a pound below the market leader based on their hurdles form, the daughter of Overbury arguably achieved more on her chase debut despite getting beat, as the horse that conquered her that day was none other than subsequent Rising Stars Novice Chase winner Bags Groove. The only horse to offer any resistance to Harry Fry’s potentially top-class young chaser at Ffos Las, the time figure also proved that it was a smart effort by the eight-year-old mare and with a cruising speed that was often seen as its most productive when the tempo was hot over hurdles last season, the pace likely to be set by Marias Benefit should suit the section down to the ground.

ROLLING DYLAN (best price 8-1) isn’t the most straightforward of characters, but on the times when he has played ball he’s looked incredibly good and at the prices he’s worth taking a punt that he can piece it altogether hailing from stable in unstoppable form at present.

Generally speaking, Philip Hobbs’ gelding has been fairly consistent throughout his career, it’s just the propensity to throw in the odd stinker from left field (pulled up twice) allied to the annoyance of him sometimes finding not as much as anticipated off the bridle that has driven his followers nuts in recent times. On the day when he totally battered the useful Flintham at Chepstow, he looked like he could take on the world, yet on his final start of the season, he seemed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory after travelling all over his main market rival Geordie Des Champs for nine-tenths of the journey at Hereford. Which Rolling Dylan turns up then is clearly very difficult to predict, but what we can say is that the majority of the Hobbs’ runners seem to be seeing out their races much better than last season, and this strong-travelling son of Indian River who goes really well for Michael Nolan (1231 on the horse), should at least be capable of working himself into a position where he is a threat of sorts at the business end.

TRANS EXPRESS (best price 11-2) was always just slightly on his head on ground plenty quick enough for him at Cheltenham last time out, but that said, he still ran well enough in defeat to warrant an interest racing back over a track that has served him well in the past.

Having his first run for 173 days, Sue Gardner’s inmate was still there bang in contention as the field charged down to the second last at Prestbury Park, but by the time the main players had swung into the home straight and faced up to the last, he rather got left behind in the rush. Keeping on well to finish an honourable seventh, the son of Trans Island did about as well as could be expected given the strength of the race and the time figure it produced, and with his overall record at today’s venue reading 7211612, a huge display looks on the cards under ideal conditions now he’s had that all-important run under his belt.

NELSON RIVER (NAP) (best price 9-2) has yet to jump hurdles in public, but providing he takes to his new discipline then he looks destined to play a significant role in a race threadbare with real serious contenders. As ever with these juvenile events earlier season, jumping and more predominately plenty of stamina usually gains the day, and with Tony Carroll’s three-year-old proving several times on the Flat that he’s got the latter in abundance, that’s half the problem solved. The son of Mount Nelson first sprung to prominence when he landed a Wolverhampton handicap on his first try beyond a mile back in September and although he failed in his bid to follow up next time out on the turf at Pontefract, the way he stayed on after finding himself in an unpromising position turning into the home straight suggested he hadn’t taken too much of a backward step. A gelding with plenty of size and scope to make it at the winter game, if he jumps the first few flights well and gains plenty of confidence along the way, he has the qualities to make sure some of the upstarts from more powerful yards have plenty to think about in the latter stages.