Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

Phoenix Way has a lovely future and just about sets the standard with his fine Sandown effort last time out (bad blunder three out cost him winning chance), but this will be no walk in the park up against THIRD WIND (NAP) (best price 7-2), and the impressive C&D winner is strongly fancied to press home his course knowledge. 

Having shaped nicely on his debut in a bumper at Huntingdon last season, it has to be said he turned out to be a bit disappointing on his next and final start to the campaign at Warwick, where he finished down the field in a keenly-contested affair. Off the track for 222-days, Hughie Morrison’s was unfancied according to the betting (40-1) on his return to action for his hurdling debut here 34 days ago, but that didn’t stop him totally belying his market position in some style.

In a well-run affair at the Sussex track, the son of Shirocco seemed to be travelling in a lower gear to anything else and once he breezed to the front at the second last, he only had to be nudged out with minimal effort to score with seemingly a ton in hand.

Time-wise, the performance stacked up well and with the likes of the useful pair, Breaking Waves and Acey Milan (first two in the betting) both left floundering, there’s no real reason to doubt his superiority. Back to the scene of that victory under similar conditions, the five-year-old gelding, who should have more to offer on the evidence of that display, rates a confident vote to put the wind-up favourite-backers at the very least. 

Of the other two main players in the market, Comanche Red seems to have lost his way since making an encouraging start to his life over hurdles, while it would be a surprise if Third Wind didn’t end up a good bit better than a 113-rated performer, a perch which Its Got Legs currently sits on. 

PUNCHES CROSS (best price 9-4) is still a work in progress, but there was a lot to like about his latest performance over today’s C&D last time out and with the likelihood of even more to come, Joseph O’Brien’s gelding is taken to follow up that pleasing success 19 days ago.

A little cautious over the early fences, the son of Stowaway soon began to warm to the task going down the back straight and although he still had a task on his hands as the field turned for home, by the time he’d jumped the last and landed on the run-in, he was well on top going up the hill. Clearly well suited by a nice even gallop over a galloping track, the six-year-old still appears on the right side of the handicapper for the foreseeable future and he rates a decent bet at the morning odds.

A race where even watching will be tiring, but the one who stands out as having potentially the most stamina for the examination presented is THE TWO AMIGOS (best price 9-4). A multiple scorer in the point-to-point fields, his relentless front-running style has made an immediate impact to his life under rules and his latest success at Exeter typifies what Nick Martin’s gelding is all about.

Setting off in usual trail-blazing fashion at the West Country venue, the son of Midnight Legend soon had most of his rivals at full stretch and even though he was challenged all the way down the long home straight by Garrane at Haldon Hill, he gradually broke the heart of his nearest pursuer.

Prior to that game effort 30 days ago, the seven-year-old probably found the ground a little too quick for his liking when only second at Market Rasen, but with today’s conditions much more suitable this time around, he’s fancied to lead it out from the front.