Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

KOVERA (NAP) (best price 11-8) clocked a tremendous time for the grade when winning by a wide margin at Sedgefield and under similar conditions, Tim Vaughan’s gelding can hopefully dish out another pillar-to-post display. Having taken well to the first-time visor when runner-up at Southwell the time before, the Antarctique gelding was well-supported beforehand to register another win and after setting off at a good pace from the start, he never looked in any serious threat. Indeed, his overall time and final circuit sectionals were that good (4.7 seconds quicker), he simply blew away the numbers achieved by the other chase winner on the card, Grow Nasa Grow, and providing he can get into the same early rhythm than he did at the Durham track, the in-from six-year-old is going to be very difficult for the rest to handle.

The novice hurdle won by Tokay Dokey at Uttoxeter last month turned out to be an extremely good one based on the speed figures and with the likes of Neachells Bridge and Diomede Des Mottes both going on to advertise the value of the form subsequently, runner-up that day DOSTAL PHIL (best price 5-2) rates a confident choice to follow suit on what appears an attractive mark on handicap debut.

A winner over 1m 4f on the Flat in Deauville, hopes were high when he made his UK debut for new connections in a bumper at Bangor last year (sent off 4-5 favourite), but having looked comfortable during the first part of the race, he found disappointing little in the latter stages to eventually finish fourth of the 12-strong field. Not seen out until returning to action at the Midland track after 352 days (clearly had issues in the interim), he looked fresh and well on his comeback run only to just get outrun by a useful sort from the Dan Skelton yard, but with the pair pulling well clear of the rest and the numbers of the race stacking up well, you can see why connections regard this son of Coastal Path so highly. Hopefully, with the fizz out of his system and the hood on for the first time just to pacify his urge to race exuberantly, Philip Hobbs’ gelding should prove well suited by a strongly-run contest around a stiff track and in time he should go on to prove way better than his current rating of 120.

As has often proved to be the case throughout his career, the best time to catch A HARE BREATH (best price 10-3) is off the back of a long break, and with most of his best form also coming over today’s track, those two factors ensure that Ben Pauling’s gelding rates a decent proposition in this tricky handicap chase. Extremely lightly-raced for a 10-year-old, largely due to injuries, he clearly is a very talented performer when he does make it to the track and on all three starts last year he managed to run to a pretty high standard. First of all, the son of Alkaadhem scored in game fashion over hurdles at Sandown on his seasonal reappearance (246-day layoff) and although he only raced twice subsequently, both efforts in two big handicap hurdles at Cheltenham and Ayr were extremely meritorious. Although he’s only raced three times over fences, his technique over the larger obstacles was never in question and with today’s small field also ideal for a horse a little out of practice, he has the class to go well for local connections.

COUNT MERIBEL (best price 5-1) posted some smart form as a novice hurdler in the early part of last season and based on the evidence of what we saw of him on his debut over fences at Carlisle the other day, the son of Three Valleys could well follow the same patterns in his new discipline.

Always top the fore and jumping well at the Cumbrian venue, Nigel Twiston-Davies’ gelding stayed on very strongly in the latter stages 12 days ago, and with the speed figure also pointing towards the performance being pretty smart for this time of the year, it makes perfect sense to stay loyal to those numbers and hope he can put that vital experience of jumping well at pace to good use.

Universal Command is predictably a warm order here after his eye-catching effort over tonight’s C&D last time out, but equally unlucky by how the race panned out was JETSTREAM (best price 4-1) and given that we can play Kerry Lee’s inmate at a much more appealing price, he rates the solid each-way alternative.

In a race run at a slow gallop, the son of Galileo found himself in a terrible position as the field turned for home and as it then turned into a dash for the line from the two-pole, predictably he ran into a wall of horses dropping back in his lap no matter where he went looking for space. Finishing full of running, the lightly-raced three-year-old left the feeling of what might have been and in a more cleanly-run race back at the same track, hopefully he can make some sorts of amends.

NIGG BAY (best price 5-1) is as talented as he is slightly quirky, but as he’s shown in the past he’s pretty effective at this level when on song and he’s fancied to go well here tonight in a race that should be run to suit.

Just two wins in 24 tells its own story with this four-year-old, but he’s often run well in defeat and other than one excusable poor run over 6f on soft ground back in April, he’s generally run his race and been consistent. Off the back of a 113-day layoff last time out at Navan, Johnny Levins’ gelding found himself with plenty to do at halfway, but gradually working his way into the picture towards the business end, he managed to come home strongly to only get beaten two lengths in a busy finish. Likely to be all the better for that much-needed outing, the son of Exceed And Excel returns to the scene of some of his better performances and with a strong pace likely to be the order of the day thanks to Geological’s presence, his usual slow start should ensure he gets switched off at the back of the field before coming home strongly where it matters.

Of the rest, AMANAAT (best price 15-2) has often left the impression a race of this nature is well within his grasp and he’s worth a small interest at a bigger price. Although he’s yet to win for new connections, on at least two or three occasions he’s been a shade unlucky how the race has panned out and he did catch the eye with the way he finished off his race here last time out. A well-run five furlongs should turn out to be ideal and a big run looks on the cards from Denis Hogan’s slightly frustrating gelding.

You can pretty much set your clock by NIMITZ (best price 5-1) in these sort of races around Dundalk and for that reason, Charles O’Brien’s reliable stalwart looks the proverbial each-way bet to nothing in a race where there doesn’t appear to be too many obvious candidates.

Unsuited by the slow pace and small field scenario on his latest outing, prior to that the son of Casamento had been bang on the money with two classic encounters with the granite-tough Commander One and with both sets of speed figures suggesting he’s at his best when smuggled away under wraps off solid fractions, a ground-saving trip around the inside (drawn in stall one) should see his looming presence arrive on the scene turning for home ready to deliver the killer blow.