Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

It was a wise decision to pull up WALT (best price 7-2) after his cause was a lost one from a very early stage at Cheltenham last time out, and that now means he arrives here a relatively fresh horse fit and ready to recapture his previous outstanding run of results.

Since fitted with a visor, Neil Mulholland’s gelding has really upped his game and victory in the 888sport Chase at Kempton back in February proved he was a handicapper going places. Not for the first time, that performance suggested he’s much happier racing right-handed on a decent surface and with today’s conditions absolutely ideal for the son of King’s Theatre it would be disappointing if he couldn’t make his class tell.

As you’d expect for a race of this nature, a competitive and varied field has been assembled and even though AQUARIUM (best price 12-1) is one of the most exposed of the 13-strong party, he’s still fancied to go well. Incredibly busy throughout last season’s campaign, Mark Johnston’s gelding managed to score five times under a variety of conditions and it was nice to see him return to something like his best on his most recent outing. In a very strongly-run affair at Chelmsford, the four-year-old chestnut had to be considered an unlucky loser having been checked in his run at a crucial stage and with his conqueror, Nonios, going on to advertise the form with a solid effort at Yarmouth yesterday, there’s no reason why he can’t tread a similar path over a track where he’s already enjoyed previous success.

Anything that’s fancied from the Dan Skelton yard at present has to be greatly respected, so it would be foolish to disregard Whocalledmespeedy, but either way, preference goes the way of MILKWOOD (NAP) (best price 9-4) in the belief that his valuable C&D form might just be the key to tipping the balance in his favour.

Having his first run since wind surgery, Neil Mulholland’s gelding was noted travelling strongly just in behind the speed rounding the home bend and once he quickened up smartly to take control over two furlongs from home it looked like he’d got the race in the bag. Unfortunately, however, the Dylan Thomas gelding ended up having to play second fiddle to the fast-finishing Only Money, but as the time figure was good and the sixth home, Sopat, has gone on to score since, it clearly was a battle lost but a war that could easily be salvaged in future.

TYNAMITE (best price 5-1) finally gained his just rewards for a series of frustrating efforts over tonight’s track and the five-year-old is fancied to kick on and prove that victory was no false dawn.

Often catching the eye on the fringes of the action, the son of Elnadim finally had everything fall into place here 19 days ago and as the time figure suggested, it turned out to be a career-high performance by this low-grade handicapper. Indeed, amazingly his final three-furlong sectionals were better than the 99-rated Alfredo Arcano over the same C&D, so armed with that knowledge, it’s just a case of him being somewhere close to the same sort of form for another above-average effort to be forthcoming.