Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

CRACKING FIND (best price 5-2) is like the racing equivalent of a boa constrictor in the sense he just doesn’t let go his grip on opponents once he has them on the ropes and once again, Sue Smith’s inmate should prove very difficult to beat around a track that clearly plays into his strengths.

Following a series of fine placed efforts earlier in the season, the eight-year-old was prepared for a tilt at the valuable Castleford Chase at Wetherby in December, and in what turned out to be a well-run affair at the Yorkshire venue, he bravely came out on top of a protracted dual with Marracudja to lift the prize. Once again, showing great battling qualities on his latest outing, the son of Robin Des Pres fought back once headed by Forest Bihan to gain the spoils in a similar race over today’s C&D and with conditions set to ride almost identical to what they were 36 days ago, it’s hard to see him not putting up another bold bid from the front.

Numerically, Kerry Lee hasn’t had the season she would have been hoping for, but there have been one or two notable highlights, mainly due to the exploits of HAPPY DIVA (NAP) (best price 5-1), and her star mare is strongly fancied to give her customary solid performance.

Other than one slightly below-par effort in listed hurdle against Le Bague A Roi back in the day, the daughter of King’s Theatre has yet to finish out of the frame in 21 completed starts and her exploits over fences recently suggests she’s still improving. No match for the mighty Cyrname at Ascot two starts ago, the eight-year-old made relatively light work of the smart mare Magic Of Light in a listed chase at Huntingdon last time out and the way she travelled throughout that contest points towards a horse bang on top of her game at present. Having gone well on her only previous outing over today’s track behind Ms Parfois, this likeable and strong-travelling mare has all the hallmarks of a seriously-good each-way bet.

Sprint handicap at Lingfield aren’t exactly the greatest betting mediums long-term, but providing ROYAL BIRTH (best price 2-1) can run to the same level as he did here last week, there’s no reason why he wouldn’t go very close to winning this similar contest. In what turned out to be a blistering gallop throughout, the son of Exceed And Excel posted some of the best numbers he’s clocked for some time at this track, but unfortunately, he came up against an improving sprinter that somehow managed to record closing sectionals of 42.6 and 21.8! Nicely drawn and up against the same sort of opposition seven days on, Stuart Williams’ gelding rates a fairly strong choice to justify those figures he achieved at the Surrey venue.

Following his well-documented hard luck story in the ultra-competitive Betfair Handicap hurdle at Ascot last time out, one-time Supreme Novices’ Hurdle fancy Getaway Trump should be able to pick this lot up and carry them on the pick of his best form, but away from the most obvious winner, the better value of the race maybe to play ELVIS MAIL (best price 33-1) in the ‘with and without the favourite’ markets at huge prices.

Although this seems like a bold bid by connections pitching a horse rated just 125 into Grade 2 up against several top-class prospects, he’s certainly shown enough in his last two starts over hurdles to suggest he certainly won’t be disgraced. Impressive both visually and on the clock when scoring with plenty in hand over today’s course two outing ago (very good final circuit time), the son of Great Pretender had the misfortune to come up against Cheltenham-bound and hitherto unbeaten Galvin in a useful novice event at Ayr last time out. If Nick Alexander’s gelding had seemingly plenty to do up against a horse rated good enough to run in a Grade 1 at the festival beforehand, his task was made even more difficult by the fact that the five-year-old gave away 20 lengths in the early stages due to an unwillingness to chase the pace. Having made up a huge amount of ground to race on the heels of the leaders turning for home, he looked extremely dangerous as he quickened into the lead just after the last, but as the laws of science dictated, he eventually had to give way to natural physics as the winner – who saved energy with a more efficient ride – pulled clear again close home (ran the last circuit in 3.09.4 compared to Galvin’s 3.11.6). Therefore, despite the ratings suggesting he has a mountain to climb, he’s probably a good deal better than his current mark and being the only horse in the field to have set foot on the Borders venue, he might just have more chance of going well than the market suggests.

TEGEREK (best price 8-1) has shaped with plenty of promise in all three starts to date and even though he may lack for a little experience when comes to a race of this nature, he certainly has enough quality to go well in one.

Keen in the early stages first time out this season off the back of a 417-day break, understandably Jonjo O’Neill’s gelding paid for those exertions late on, but even so, he still finished on the coat tails of some useful novices in a well-run race. Although a similar tail unfolded at Leicester next time, at least the five-year-old came home stronger when a staying-on third behind smart pair Bright Forecast and Humble Hero, and even if he repeated that level of form here today, he would have some sort of chance of making an impact. Undone by some typically nasty winter ground at Uttoxeter last time out, today’s better conditions should suit and with the prospect of a well-run handicap on the cards, the Mount Nelson makes plenty of appeal representing a stable just sneaking back into a bit of form.