Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

INSULT (NAP) (best price 6-4) ran with a massive amount of promise on his debut at Tramore and with just normal improvement, Henry De Bromhead’s gelding can get off the mark at the second time of asking. Not particularly well fancied at the Co Waterford venue (12-1), the six-year-old gelding still had plenty on his plate as the runners headed out of the back straight, but once meeting the rising ground in the home straight, he picked up in taking style to finish a never-nearer second. With the well-beaten third going on to score twice since, the form looks particularly solid and with the likelihood of more to come, especially over today’s more suitable galloping track, the son of Scorpion should go very close to justifying his position in the market.

Henry De Bromhead has already landed one of these Pertemps Qualifiers thanks to Cuneo scoring at Leopardstown earlier in the campaign and there’s a decent chance that the Co Waterford handler can have another book his ticket for the final as he sends MORMON (best price 6-1) to post fit and fancied to run a big race.

Promising in two novice events at Navan and Fairyhouse, the son of Stowaway was well backed to get the job done at the third time of asking at Tramore over the Christmas period and in what turned out to be a decent test in the conditions, he had too much firepower for his 13 rivals. Strong in the latter stages up the hill, the six-year-old gelding pulled nicely clear of two similar types under the same Gigginstown ownership and with one of them being subsequent dual winner Moratorium, the form stacks up pretty well in the context of today’s race. Indeed, the weights and measures suggest that he should at least hold his own against his old rival and providing he’s fit enough to do himself justice, there’s no obvious reason why he won’t stake a huge claim in a race where he needs to run well in order to move himself up the handicap if he’s to become a consideration for Cheltenham.

The race won by Daydream Aulmes (fell going well at Ascot on Saturday) at Huntingdon was noted for its useful speed figure and having run well in their own way to finish third and fifth respectably, both ARDERA CROSS (best price 10-3) and BLACK BUBLE (best price 8-1) are worth playing against the field in their bid to represent that strong form line.

The former was well-backed to make a winning start for new connections at the Cambridgeshire venue and although he just came up a little short in the final analysis, Dan Skelton’s certainly ran well enough to suggest he can be a decent money-spinner in the future. A useful type when trained by Eoin Doyle in Ireland, the eight-year-old gelding clearly benefited from the wind surgery that had taken place since his arrival on these shores and with his yard continuing to tick along nicely deep into the heart of the season, the son of Shantou can make an honest contribution of his own.

The latter had no real excuses when well fancied in the same race 26 days ago, but as today’s ground is likely to be a little more suitable for Tony Carroll’s inmate, it would be unwise to leave him completely out of calculations. A comfortable winner the time before at the same track, the six-year-old gelding clearly goes well on a right-handed flat track and now reunited with his promising conditional who teamed up with him to good effect previously, the son of Valanour makes more appeal than most at his early morning price of 8-1.