Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

The Lucy Wadham team are as red hot as a Kelly Brook photoshoot right now and REGARDING RUTH (best price 5-1) has a decent chance of providing the Newmarket-based handler with her sixth winner of the week.

Although yet to win a race in six starts, the daughter of Flemensfirth is not without ability and her latest two efforts suggest she’s certainly up to landing a race of this nature. A staying-on third in a useful novice event at Huntingdon was backed up with another promising performance in an even better contest against the boys at Fontwell last time out and having also run encouragingly in a listed bumper over today’s course in the past, she has enough in her favour to make her presence felt.

POLISHED STEEL (best price 8-1) ran better than the bare results suggested in a competitive handicap at Fairyhouse last time out and he makes plenty of appeal now dropping back down in trip off what still looks a reasonable mark. A ready winner of a maiden hurdle at Thurles the time before, Jessica Harrington’s gelding was pitched into what looked a hot contest at the Co Meath venue eight days ago and after travelling well for the majority of the 2m4f trip, in the end his stamina ran out from the back of the second last. Eased off in the closing stages by Robbie Power once he knew his winning chance had gone, the son of Jeremy ended up not having a particularly hard race, and although he has a little bit to find with the King Of Brega on a previous encounter at Thurles, the five-year-old is expected to close the gap considerably and reward solid each-way support.

Dyliev ran out a fairly snug winner under a confident ride here last time out, but it might a been a totally different story had market leader THOUNDER (NAP) (best price 11-4) not uprooted at least two hurdles on the final circuit and Gary Moore’s gelding is strongly fancied to gain his revenge.

Very much the gamble of the race that day, the Hurricane Cat gelding travelled like he was going to land the punt for most of the journey, but a bad mistake at the third last set in the rot and to put the final nail in the coffin, he went and did the very same thing at the final flight for good measure. Only beaten a length in the end, the five-year-old has to be considered an unlucky loser and although backing those kind of horses is a one-way ticket to the poorhouse in the long run, he certainly has enough positives in his direction to warrant another chance.