Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

MARTILA (best price 9-1) ultimately couldn’t quite live with the likes of Winston C, Champagne City and several other progressive types in a hot race at Kelso last time out, but she did more than enough to suggest that she can be massively competitive with her sights lowered just a tad and this looks a good opportunity to get back on track.

Travelling as well as anything turning for home at the Borders venue, Pauline Robson’s mare run just flattened out on the long climb to the line from two out, but at the same time, she wasn’t beaten that far and even in finishing fifth, beaten six lengths, her time figure still suggested she’d run to a pretty decent standard. More impressive than the final winning margin suggested at the same track the time before, today’s quick ground and sharp track should suit her strong-travelling style of racing and it would be disappointing if she didn’t have some sort of say in the final outcome.

Horses that travel well and race up with the pace at this track are often potent forces and CAUSE TOUJOURS (NAP) (best price 5-1) fits that bill down to a tee in this competitive-looking handicap hurdle.

A largely consistent, if sometimes frustrating character, it’s probably been a huge source of irritation to connections that he still hasn’t managed to win so far this season but, as at least two of those narrow defeats were down to circumstances beyond his control, the excuse manual is fully deserved of a couple of added pages. Left in front to row his own boat way too soon for his liking over today’s C&D back in November, it still looked like he’d got all bases covered until a late thrust by Grand Sancy ended up picking his pocket close home and then much against his will, a horse running out at the first bend at Aintree when last seen caused him to pull like a mustang due to a lack of pace after that incident had taken place. Going back to that run here earlier in the campaign and strict reading of the form, a two length defeat by the 152-rated Grand Sancy with the now 133-rated Denmead 20 lengths back in third, makes Ian Williams’ gelding extremely appealing here off a mark of 132 and even though connections may want to save something back for a possible tilt at the Swinton Hurdle back here next month, it would still be a big surprise if he didn’t manage to go very close today with ideal conditions in place.

KARAWAAN (best price 10-3) ran out a decisive winner of the ultra-competitive Irish Lincoln on the opening day of the campaign and he’s strongly fancied to repeat the dose against a similar field.

Having his first outing for new connections since leaving Sir Michael Stoute, the son of Sea The Stars had little trouble in lying up with the very fast pace set that day by Warnaq and when that mare fell by the wayside at the furlong pole, he readily pilled nicely clear of the chasing pack. Given his manner of victory and time figure he posted, a 10lb rise in the ratings seems fair enough and considering that he’s clearly well suited by a big field and strongly run race, he should once again be in his element.

RUX POWER (best price 6-1) may not have the long-term potential than some, but she does have a fitness edge on her side over her two main market rivals and that could turn out to be a factor that enables her to outrun her odds in this fascinating conditions contest for fillies’.

As we know, Andrew Balding’s team has really hit the ground running so far this season, particularly his three-year-old’s, and this daughter of Kingman contributed nicely to the tally of winners for the Kingclere handler with a smooth success at Chelmsford. Off the back of a 236-day break, she made her intentions clear right from the start, and in maintaining a tremendous gallop throughout, she stopped the clock in a very fast time for a maiden at the Essex track. Given a mark of 82 after that victory, the temptation no doubt would have been to go for a handicap in order to exploit that sort of rating, but with connections quite clearly thinking on a much grander scale for their charge, the hint should be taken that they believe this filly to be better than a handicapper and she gets a chance to prove that notion here this afternoon with a likely positive ride from the front.

At first glance, ASTONISHED (best price 20-1) turned out to be a bit disappointing on her seasonal reappearance at Newcastle 22 days ago, but given that everything that could have gone did go wrong, she’s worth another chance to show she’s still a useful filly in the making. 

Backed off the boards at the Gosforth Park venue, James Tate’s filly spent the first two furlongs reefing and pulling David Allen’s arms out due to the funeral pace, and although to her great credit she still managed to salvage something from the wreckage to finish a close-up third, her chance of actually winning was minimalised by her early exertions. Impressive when making a winning debut over today’s C&D back in December, the daughter of Sea The Stars looked a proper stayer in the making that evening and with the likelihood of there being a more even gallop on from the start in this better race, she should be capable of outrunning her morning odds under those circumstances.

The handicapper clearly didn’t like what he saw when EDEN ROSE (best price 4-1) dismantled her field at Lingfield last time out, so much so that he raised Mick Channon’s filly to the tune of 11 spots in the ratings, but hopefully she has enough quality to offset that impost and be competitive in this much tougher assignment.

A progressive stayer last season, the daughter of Dansili was at her most impressive when connections stepped her up in trip to 1m6f at Wolverhampton last October and even though she ran perfectly respectably down two furlongs the next time, she plain and simply didn’t have the pace to cope with the much speedier Given Choice in a slowly-run affair. Up to two miles for the first time off the back of a 139-day break at the Surrey venue, the scopey four-year-old finished full of running after kicking right away from her toiling rivals two furlongs from home and with fitness on her side and a demanding surface to really test some of those coming back off a decent period on the side lines (often gets quite deep and powdery at track when there’s no rain and it’s sunny), it makes perfect sense to stick with her until proven otherwise.