Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

DISCORDANTLY (best price 10-3) ties in nicely with some pretty tasty novice hurdle form and a repeat of either his last two performances should ensure he goes very close to shedding his maiden tag.

Down the field when needed the run badly on his hurdling debut over today’s C&D back in December, Jessica Harrington’s gelding shaped with a good deal more encouragement on his next start at Cork and with the time figure and subsequent exploits of the winner, Fakir D’Oudairies, pointing towards the contest at the Co Mallow track being well above-average, it’s clear he ran to a fairly high standard. Pitched into another useful novice event at Navan last time out, the son of Salutino once again ran with a shed-load of promise, keeping on well after travelling smoothly throughout, and with the winner and sixth both going in since, the form stacks up well in the context of today’s heat. A proper chasing type with plenty of scope, the five-year-old gelding has ideal conditions and track form to perform up to maximum capacity and it would be slightly disappointing if he doesn’t give another bold account from a stable that struck in a similar race yesterday.

GLOBAL RACING (best price 4-1) seems to have turned over a new leaf since switching stables and Gavin Cromwell’s charge is fancied to go well again at a track that witnessed him land a gamble back a month ago. Heavily-supported from fancy odds in to 9-4 favouritism, it was clear to those closely associated with the six-year-old knew he was a well-handicapped horse based on his homework and so it proved as he scored with more in hand than the official winning margin suggested. Once again well-backed to follow up that facile success at the Co Kildare venue, the son of Hard Spun probably wasn’t fully effective on the rain-softened ground at Fairyhouse 15 days ago, but either way, he still ran with plenty of credit. Form-wise, the race has already begun to take shape with the runner-up, Cher Why Not, scoring at Thurles on Thursday and with today’s ground also likely to be much more in his favour this time around, another bold shout looks on the cards.

RIDERS ONTHE STORM (best price 11-4) has always been held in pretty high regard and he’s taken to finally deliver the goods over fences after a couple of encouraging efforts against some top-quality opponents. A promising novice hurdler in the early part of last season, for some reason the wheels totally came off Tom Taaffe’s gelding on his final two outings of the campaign, so it’s safe to say he’s pretty much been on a recovery mission since. Shaping with plenty of encouragement on his first start over the larger obstacles over today’s C&D back in November behind the smart Mengli Khan, the Scorpion gelding looked extremely dangerous turning for home in a hot Grade 1 chase at Limerick when last seen, but once jumping the second last, he faded badly on the heavy ground over 2m3f. Whether he has a hole in him or it’s a simply case of him needing the minimum trip to be at his best only time will tell, but either way, he’s too talented an individual to totally dismiss out of hand and he’s worth another chance to put the record straight in these slightly less choppy waters.

SOLUMN GRUNDY (NAP) (best price 13-2) has offered plenty of encouragement for the future in both his starts so far this season and Henry De Bromhead’s gelding is strongly fancied to make his presence felt over a trip that should play into his strengths.

Useful when trained by Neil Mulholland in the UK, the nine-year-old produced a fine display for new connections when runner-up in a warm handicap chase over 2m4f at Navan in December and that performance leant itself for him being competitive in many future events over further. Even though he was upped in trip to 3m in the Paddy Power Chase at Leopardstown last time out, he still shaped as though he could do with an even greater emphasis on stamina, so today’s extra half-a-mile should prove to be right up his street.