Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

TALKISCHEAP (NAP) (best price 6-4) is developing into a thoroughly likeable and smart chaser and he’s strongly fancied to carry his progressive even further up the ladder despite facing two rivals of significance here this afternoon.

Not quite good enough to cope with the hugely-talented mare, La Bague Au Roi on his first two starts over fences, Alan King’s gelding finally got off the mark at the third time of asking at Doncaster last time out, and although he only had to beat one opponent in the shape of Theatre Territory, the speed figures suggest it was a performance of some merit. Although he has plenty of solid form going left-handed, connections have always maintained that he might be better going in an anti-clockwise direction and with that theory put to the test this afternoon, a place at the Cheltenham Festival might be on the cards providing he comes through with flying colours.

Pym is clearly going to be all the rage for this novice event given his sexy profile, but he’s not looked the most straightforward of characters so far to date, so the safest option looks to be MANVERS HOUSE (best price 9-2) from an each-way perspective.

Not fit enough to do himself justice when down the field in a useful novice event at Chepstow on his seasonal reappearance, Robert Walford’s inmate left that display well and truly behind him last time out at Newbury and a repeat of that effort when fourth to the highly-promising Champagne Platinum should ensure he’s massively competitive here this afternoon. In what turned out to be a well-run affair at the Berkshire venue, the six-year-old gelding looked hugely dangerous going down to the last only to find he got bogged down on the un-favoured nearside rail on the run-in, but with the likes of Howling Milan (won since) and The Wolf (fourth in the Ballymore Trial at Cheltenham Saturday) back in the field, the form looks as good as anything in the race. A tall, scopey, chasing type for the future, the son of Schiaparelli should appreciate today’s step up in trip and it’s also worth pointing out that he’s not short of pace either as his run behind the very smart Mister Fisher in a bumper here last season testifies.

A tightly-knit affair, but there’s a decent chance BERYL THE PETAL (best price 8-1) will turn out to be competitive given here consistent profile. Although she’s only managed to win once in 12 starts, she’s been placed in all but one of her other 10 outings and since coming back off a break, she’s hit the board each time this winter. Runner up to Anycity over tonight’s C&D back in December (forced to race wide), she filled out the same spot when just run out of the argument in the closing stages by War And Glory, but with a potentially good pitch on her return visit to the Dunstall Park venue, Kevin Ryan’s filly is fancied to hit the frame at the very least.