Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

DASHED (best price 13-8) did a hell of a lot wrong on her latest outing at Newmarket yet still managed to run half a decent race in defeat, but hopefully with the fizz taken out of her she can be more of a tractable ride and piece together a better and more sensible overall product in this similar contest.

Taking a fierce hold right from the start on the Rowley Mile, Roger Varian’s filly expended plenty of vital energy in the early part of the contest, but even allowing for that, she still looked like winning when bursting to the front over a furlong out only for the long climb to the line to eventually take its toll on her antics in the dying strides. Clearly she’s going to haver to settle better today, but with the drop back in trip bound to suit and flatter track placing more of an influence on speed, her ability to travel and quicken -might be the telling factor over her main market rival King’s Girl, who looked a little one-paced in the closing stages at Nottingham last time out.

There was a lot to like about the way BROGINE (best price 4-1) went about his work at Ballinrobe on Monday night and with his confidence sky-high, the nine-year-old can deliver the goods for the second time in a week.

Held up towards the back of the field, the Milan gelding made smooth progress to race on the heels of the leaders going down the back straight and in finding a useful turn of foot rounding the home turn and from the last, he scampered clear Deburrafield, who in turn pulled miles clear of the rest. Considering that excellent display came off the back of a 305-day break, the performance deserves a good deal of credit and with connections clearly happy enough to allow their charge to go again after such a short turn around, he’s taken to strike while the iron is hot.

Easily the strongest division of the 1m1f maiden, bringing together several promising three-year-olds, and of those that have already caught the eye, SINCERITY (best price 7-2) makes the most appeal at the morning odds.

Sent off relatively unfancied at 16-1 for her racecourse debut at Nottingham, James Fanshawe’s filly never really looked like defying that price tag at any stage, but at the same time, she did more than enough with just normal improvement to suggest she would be a totally different proposition next time out and even further down the line. Not knocked in the closing stages, the daughter of Iffraaj came home in pretty taking fashion at the Midland venue and having the size and scope to develop into a really smart filly with the more experience she gathers, today’s race offers a perfect opportunity to see whether she’s a fast learner.

Both MAIDEN CASTLE (NAP) (best price 9-4) and Pondus hold very strong form lines coming into this novice event, but preference is for the former on account of his superior speed figure gained at Chepstow last time out. Making his seasonal debut off the back of a 142-day break, Henry Candy’s gelding looked likely to overcome that absence for majority of the journey, but just as he swept to the front going well at the two-furlong pole, along came the late thrust of Aloe Vera to pick his pocket late on. Although disappointing at the time not to put away that decent opportunity, subsequent wins for both the winner and third in much better races have helped ease the blow for connections and likely to be fitter and wiser for that initial outing, the son of Nayef is fancied to make no mistake this time around.