Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

HOLD THE NOTE (best price 5-2) showed tremendous grit and determination to fend off a whole series of challengers at Doncaster last time out and he’s fancied to give his connections a second notable success of the week. 

Having shaped well in an above-average bumper at Cheltenham earlier in the campaign, Mick Channon’s gelding was then switched to see what he could achieve over hurdles and that experiment was answered in the affirmative with a super effort in a hot novices’ event at Sandown. Despite the extremely testing ground that afternoon, the son of Jeremy still managed to finish a creditable third behind two nice sorts and with the likes of subsequent winners, Baddesley Knight, Greanateen and Zanza in behind, the form rates pretty useful.

Back on a more favourable surface on Town Moor 50 days ago, the five-year-old gathered all his knowledge he’d gained for that initial outing and distributed it wisely during the course of the 2m3f journey and given he’s the type that looks like he will improve again with more racing, he’s taken to vindicate that view and continue his progression.

BORN TO PLEASE (NAP) (best price 8-1) has been beaten a fair way on her three starts over hurdles, but in her defence, she’s also been set some pretty arduous tasks and as today’s quite clearly represents a huge drop in terms of quality, Mark Usher’s mare rates an interesting runner on handicap debut. Pitched in against some of the better novices seen out so far this season – particularly the penultimate outing at Newbury behind the likes of Rathhill, Dashel Drasher, Pistol Whipped and Co – the daughter of Stimulation went back to the Berkshire venue for her latest outing, again facing some tidy opponents.

Dropped right out the back in a race that it paid to be handy (winner made all), she ran past virtually the entire field inside the final mile to finish a creditable runner-up (including 127-rated Harambe), so even though the formbook says she got beaten 26 lengths, in reality she ran roughly the same circuit final circuit time as the winner.

Indeed, when also comparing her sectionals to the first race on the card won by the 121-rated Ar Mad over the same C&D, she comes out a good deal better on the numbers than that class 4 handicap, so off an opening mark of just 103, the five-year-old may just have been slightly underestimated by the official assessor based on that last offering.