Andy Holding's Tuesday Racing Tips

Trainer Henry Oliver is going through a bit of a purple patch at present and the Abberley handler looks to have another decent chance of adding to his recent haul with STEPS AND STAIRS (NAP) (best price 3-1) in this competitive handicap chase.

Fairly lightly-raced for his age, the nine-year-old has continued from where he left off last season and even though he’s yet to register a win in two starts, on each occasion he’s shaped with loads of promise. Just undone by a sharper type over 2m 4f on his seasonal return at today’s track back in November, the son of Robin Des Pres looked as though he was set to make amends at Haydock last time out until getting run out of the argument under much more testing conditions 34 days ago. The way he jumped and travelled at the Merseyside venue certainly suggested, however, that there’s plenty mileage to be had off his current mark and this big, rangy gelding looks sure to go well with plenty seemingly in his favour.

KNOW THE SCORE (best price 13-5) was yet another horse to come out of the Deise Aba maiden hurdle at Chepstow to go on and score next time out and despite David Pipe’s inmate facing two useful and promising types here this afternoon, he’s taken to press home the qualities he’s already shown. Although only third that day at the Welsh track, the speed figures revealed that he’d run to a pretty useful standard, so it was no great surprise to see him backed off the boards before delivering the goods in a minor event at Hexham last time out. Despite not beating much 27 days ago, the son of Flemensfirth at least intimated that a proper test on soft ground were his ideal requirements and with today’s step up in trip sure to suit based on his victory of Senior Citizen in an Irish point-to-point on his racecourse debut, the other two big guns in this showdown are likely to be given plenty of headaches.

Potentially a very smart bumper in prospect and BALLETICON (best price 7-2) is fancied to make some sort of impact having run well in two similar races so far to date. Runner-up on his opening bow at Southwell towards the backend of last season, Kim Bailey’s gelding returned to action at Chepstow in November and although he had the misfortune to finish in the same spot, his performance in chasing home Silver Forever was a several notches higher based on the speed figure the race produced. The fact he also ran to that high level despite running extremely green inside the final half a mile is testimony to his raw ability and providing he’s grown up sufficiently in the interim period, the scopey five-year-old looks booked to be in the thick of the action and make his experience count.