Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

Andrew Balding has made a sensational start to the season and there’s a good chance that CLEONTE (best price 6-1) will provide the Kingsclere handler with another success in one of the signature races in the early part of the campaign.

A creditable third in last season’s Cesarewitch off a mark of 95, the son of Sir Percy was pitched into Group 3 company at Ascot on his first run since a 200-day break and although he came up just a little short, he still ran well enough to justify that bold attempt in a higher class contest. Last as the field turned for home in what proved to be a well-run affair, the six-year-old finished off his race with plenty of purpose down the outside and with the time figure saying it was a fair race of its kind and the well-beaten Weekender scoring already, it’s plain to see the form is rock-solid. Although that effort and many others have come on fast ground, he has handled testing conditions in the past and from his favourable inside draw, hopefully he can save ground and get the breaks when he needs them towards the business end.

Speedball Kachy is likely to be away and gone just like he has been in most of his races in recent times, but with a slight question mark over his suitability for soft ground, the safest option at the prices is to look towards his stable mate SHE CAN BOOGIE (best price 9-4) in the ‘without the favourite’ markets. Although Tom Dascombe’s filly has a mountain to climb at the weights, she does arrive here with a bit of match practice under her belt thanks to an excellent effort in a strongly-run sprint handicap over today’s C&D on day-one of the May Festival, and a repeat of that performance should see her good enough to hit the frame at the very least.

NOTE: Kachy a non-runner so changed to win market.

PONDUS (NAP) (best price 9-4) shaped with a huge amount of potential on his racecourse debut over today’s course a month ago and with just improvement he’s likely to have a large say in the eventual outcome. Slowly into stride and forced to race wide early from his poor draw, James Fanshawe’s colt found himself with plenty to do as the field swept for home, but in finishing off his race best of those who were cut adrift of the main market players, he stayed on best of all to occupy a creditable fourth place at the line. Indeed, his final four furlong splits were a full second quicker than the eventual winner, King Of Change, and considering he went on to run a Herculean race in the 2000 Guineas, the son of Sea The Moon can go some way to justifying his Derby entry.

The guys doing the spotlight at the Racing Post suggested CAMPHOR (best price 11-4) “ran well from a horrible draw”, which is a bit misleading as there weren’t any stalls in operation for that race, but either way, she’s fancied to drive home her experience against several potentially exciting newcomers. Tucked away just behind the leaders as the field exited the back straight, Jessica Harrington’s filly impressed how she stuck to the task at hand all the way down the straight and as her final four-furlong split time was only bettered on the card by potential Irish 2000 Guineas aspirant Decrypt, it just shows what sort of level she ran to on her debut.

CAVA (best price 5-2) would have finished a good deal closer had she received anything like a clear run on her opening gambit to this campaign and she’s taken to confirm the impression she created at Navan 12 days ago.

Useful at two and good enough to finish third in a Group three behind So Perfect, Joseph O’Brien’s filly went seeking further black type on her first start to this season and although finishing third behind the useful Inverleigh was a more than respectable performance, she was arguably the best horse in the race. Now racing on a flatter track that hasn’t been used for some time, it’s hard to predict whether stall 2 ends up being a decent draw or not, but either way, she has all the qualities to land a race of this nature, if not tonight, but in the not too distant future.