Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

VIOLET’S LADS (best price 7-2) probably isn’t one for those down to their last fiver, but she’s shown more than enough on several occasions to suggest one of these days the cards will fall in her favour – and today might just be the day.

Runner-up on her previous two starts, Brett Johnson’s mare found herself right towards the back of the field as the runners hurtled downhill and into the home straight over today’s C&D 37 days ago, and in a race where it paid to be handy, she was always likely to come unstuck. That said, she would have finished much closer to the well ridden winner, Catapult, had she not got stopped more times than an ice cream van down the lane and with today’s contest not appearing to be an overly strong one on paper, the daughter of Myboycharlie is afforded another chance to finally break her duck.

PISTOL WHIPPED (NAP) (best price 7-4) had qualified for the EBF Final run at today’s track tomorrow, so the fact that he comes here for arguably easier pickings is a nod towards his chances – or maybe towards Beyond Midnight tomorrow from the same stable – but either way, Nicky Henderson’s gelding is one to keep on side.

Very much the second string according to the betting behind stablemate Rathhill on his hurdling debut at Newbury back in December, the son of Beneficial ran a highly promising race considering big things weren’t necessarily expected and with the form of that race working out to suggest it contain plenty of future winners in its midst, he clearly ran to a very high standard. Well-backed to justify the impression he created at the Berkshire venue, the five-year-old duly got off the mark at the second time of asking at Fakenham last time out despite the track not being entirely suitable, and now on a more galloping course with underfoot conditions to suit, this future chasing type is fancied to stamp his authority over his rivals.

With the track currently riding slow and deep, it’s no coincidence that the bigger, stronger types such as PARK ROW (best price 3-1) and Chaparral Dream have been making hay recently, and in a tight call between the pair, the former just gains the slight nod. 

A game winner over the C&D two starts ago, Denis Coakley’s nine-year-old was surprisingly easy to back on his latest outing a month later, but in a race where tactics became the key component, he once again came out on top. Sent to the front early when nothing wanted to lead, Ross Coakley was able to dictate matters to suit in front and even though he faced a barrage of challengers all having a nibble at him down the straight, the son of Where Or When never really looked like relinquishing the lead.

Clearly in the form of his life, the chestnut gelding faces another stern test in the shape of the ever-improving Chaparral Dream, but having been fed on a diet of these tough 0-90 handicaps for quite some time now, hopefully his class can come through.