Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

OWENACURRA LASS (best price 11-4) predictably found the likes of Annamix and Raya Time too hot to handle on her hurdling debut at Clonmel last time, but she did more than enough to suggest she can be winning again with her sights lowered to a more realistic level and today’s one of those opportunities.

Settled towards the rear early on at the Co Tipperary track, Declan Queally’s mare still had plenty to do as the field exited the back straight, but in staying on pretty strongly in the final half a mile, she managed to grab a podium finish. On the evidence of that performance, the daughter of Gold Well is going to require further to be fully effective over hurdles a further down the line, but for now, today’s two circuit two-mile trip and stiff uphill climb to the line should prove well within her range and having run well here in the past, a big performance looks imminent from this likeable six-year-old

5-1 the field tells its own story about the complexities about this 2m5f handicap hurdle, but EBONY GALE (best price 17-2) maybe the one with enough in her favour to jump out of the crowd.

A winner of a bumper over today’s course this time last year, Philip Hobbs’ mare had to overcome a couple of nasty falls on her first two starts over hurdles when scoring at the third time of asking at Leicester back in December and although she’s failed on that promising display in three subsequent outings, soft ground has been larger the contributory factor why she’s been slightly below-par. That said, she did run a good deal better than the final finishing position suggested at Exeter last time out (made two telling blunders in the home straight) and now back on a genuinely fast surface, the daughter of Shirocco is taken to really come into her own over a trip that threatens to suit.

LITTLESTICKARUBARB (NAP) (best price 6-4) hasn’t always been the most reliable off the bridle, but even her harshest critics couldn’t fault her application when making a successful return to fences at Clonmel last time out and with her confidence seemingly reignited, Michael Winters’ mare looks booked to provide Racing TV viewers with another unfathomable post-race interview by her genial handler.

Once again, the daughter of Westerner travelled supremely well right from the get-go at the Co Tipperary venue, but this time once she got to the front, she just kept going further and further clear. The feature of that performance and one of the main reasons why she was so dominant was her tremendous round of jumping and providing she can get into the same sort of rhythm from an early stage today, there’s no reason why she won’t dish out a similar beating to her five rivals.