Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

Other than his constant battle with Saturday’s, Alan King’s horses continue to thrive and in the shape of PRAECEPS (best price 6-1), the Barbury Castle handler looks to have bright prospects of bagging another notable winner. 

Useful on the Flat when trained by Sir Mark Prescott, the four-year-old has taken well to his new vocation and having scored nicely at Market Rasen back in the early part of last month, he was stepped up in class and asked to tackle the Grade 2 Adonis Hurdle at Kempton a few weeks later. Although he proved no match for the winner that day, the son of Canford Cliffs still ran with great credit in finishing a respectable third and with the fifth horse home that day, Petite Palais, going on to advertise the value of the form at Stratford yesterday, this year’s renewal at the Surrey venue appears well above average.

A creditable sixth in what looked a decent Fred Winter based on the figures at Cheltenham last time out, he easily has some of the best form on offer going into today’s heat and a repeat of any of his last two performances should see on bang on the premises again.

HIGHWAY ONE O ONE (best price 11-4) has been plying his trade against some of the best novices around this season and he’s fancied to take advantage of a slight drop in grade back in handicap company. No match for the top-class Dynamite Dollars on no fewer than three occasions this term, Chris Gordon’s gelding looked like he was going to gain just rewards for some brave efforts in defeat at Cheltenham’s trial day back in January.

Unfortunately, the son of Stowaway just couldn’t quite fend off the persistent challenge of the gutsy Kildisart up the hill but at the same time, it was still a smart effort on the numbers and he did finish well clear of the rest. Unable to dominate an ultra-competitive field in the Close Brothers Handicap at the Festival on his latest outing, the seven-year-old should find today’s smaller field more to his liking and providing he gets into a good rhythm over his fences in the early stages and builds up a nice advantage, there’s every chance he can see it out from the front. 

KINGS RYDE (NAP) (best price 13-8) ran out a ready winner at Wincanton last time out after a layoff and this unexposed seven-year-old is strongly fancied to maintain his progression over a trip that should see even further improvement. Off the track for 448 days, Nicky Henderson’s gelding looked in a bit of trouble on the run down to the second last at the West Country track, but in finding plenty for pressure on the run-in, he ended up winning going away with more up his sleeve than the official margin suggested. On that evidence, the King’s Theatre gelding looks as though he’s crying out for a stiffer test and up against a field who, by and large, have quite a few questions to ask, he rates the standout bet at the morning odds.