Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

MR STRUTTER (NAP) (best price 15-8) showed a sharp change of gear to seal matters in a short space of time over today’s C&D last time out and up a similar set of opponents 14 days on, the result is strongly fancied to be the same.

Off the back of strong early fractions set by First Excel, Ronald Thompson’s gelding looked to be in a spot of bother as the field rounded the home turn, but once finding his stride in the straight he fairly rattled home to in the end run out a comfortable winner. Moreover, his final three-furlong sectionals of 37.0 reveal that the son of Sir Prancelot was trapping along at a decent rate of knots for a horse of his grade (67-rated Lads Order clocked 37.7 over same C&D earlier on the card) so even though the handicapper has tried his best to prevent a repeat, a copy and paste job looks highly likely providing he’s in the same form.

MININGGOLD (best price 4-1) was always in control of similar opposition over the C&D two weeks ago and with another good break, Michael Dods’ mare should prove difficult to catch once again. Having gone close on her previous two visits to the Nottingham venue, the daughter of Piccolo was well backed to make it third time lucky and with her chances of landing the plunge greatly increased when in a decisive lead after a furlong, she was in no mood to relinquish her advantage. Clearly well suited by the deep Fibresand surface, the five-year-old also has the run-style to compliment the track, and even though winning rider Callum Rodriguez that day isn’t aboard this afternoon, regular pilot Paula Muir is hardly seen as a negative as she knows her mount so well.

SMACKWATER JACK (best price 7-4) clearly found a sharp two miles around Wetherby an insufficient test, but now back up to a distance he should find more to his liking, Olly Murphy’s gelding can hopefully make a well-deserved breakthrough. In what turned out to be a well-run affair at the Yorkshire track, the main players were always going a stride too quick for the son of Flemensfirth, but to his great credit, he did keep on well to finish a creditable third. Prior to that praiseworthy effort, the five-year-old would have had a massive say in the agreement of a novice event at Aintree had he not clipped heels and come down when travelling well two out at Aintree and with today’s extended 2m 5f trip around the nice galloping flat track on decent ground likely to suit, he rates a fair bet to strike at the main expense of the potentially useful recruit Financial Conduct, who has some useful form on the level in Ireland.