Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

SHE CAN DANCE (best price 15-2) shaped with quite bit of promise in a decent novice fillies contest on debut at Thirsk and with likely improvement to come, she’s expected to make a bigger impact with that all-important run under her belt.

Not particularly well fancied at the Yorkshire track, Kevin Ryan’s filly showed bright speed to the halfway point in what turned out to be a helter-skelter early pace, but just as the big guns started to arrive on the scene a furlong out, she didn’t have enough quality to go with the main market leaders when it mattered. That said, she still kept on well to finish a creditable fifth, and with the time figure very much suggested it was an above-average contest by the track standards, the daughter of Acclamation can take full advantage of the knowledge she garnered in that sort of environment.

Without question, the London Gold Cup won by Headman is one of the best three-year-old handicaps run so far this season and having shown up prominently in that strongly-run affair, RITCHIE VALENS (best price 7-2) rates the automatic choice here despite a slight unknown about today’s softer underfoot conditions.

Despite running well against the likes of the improving pair Forest Of Dean and Fox Premier previously, Richard Hannon’s colt was sent off a big outsider at 33-1, but in finishing a close-up sixth at the Berkshire venue, he defied his underdog tag in no uncertain terms. Along aide the main players a furlong out, the son of Helmet just didn’t quite have the class to go with several who surely will be contesting Group races before too long and with today’s contest representing a huge drop down in competition, hope is high that he can take advantage and finally get off the mark.

AQUELIGA (NAP) (best price 6-4) caught the eye with a promising start to her career at Down Royal last month and with just normal improvement she’s fancied to take high rank in this similar contest.

Nibbled at in the market beforehand at the Co Down track, Paddy Twomey’s filly proceeded to fluff her lines at the start which meant she had plenty to do at halfway, but in finishing off her race best of all, she almost pulled off mission impossible. Hitting the line really hard without being unduly punished, the daughter of Slade Power enjoyed a perfect start to her racing career, and hailing from a stable that clearly has a high standard of inmates at their disposal, it would be a bitter disappointment to all concerned if she wasn’t to get off the mark at the second time of asking.

FACE OFF (best price 11-2) posted a terrific set of figures for the grade when scoring at Navan last weekend and on the evidence of that display, it will take a good performance by one of her opponents tonight to lower her colours if she’s in anything like the same form.

Heading into that competitive affair at the Co Meath venue, Charles O’Brien’s grey was still looking for that illusive win, but the combination of a more positive approach tactically and a removal of her normal headgear clearly elicited a huge turnaround in fortunes for the hitherto frustrating type. Seeing out the trip well having been on the speed throughout, the four-year-old ended up clocking the best furlong-per-furlong time on the seven-race card and even though she now has to raise her game slightly in order to offset the inevitable rise in the ratings, she has the requisite qualities to overcome that impost

The official ratings suggest BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (best price 11-2) has a bit to find with some of tonight’s rival, but she showed enough quality when winning at Gowran last time out that she might be able to find the necessary improvement to cope with this slight rise in class.

Held up behind the speed at the Co Kilkenny venue, Jack Davidson’s filly was dressed up with nowhere to go approaching the two-furlong marker, but once the gap appeared on the rail she needed no second invitation and she quickened up in the style on an in-form horse. Having run better than some of her results have suggested on several occasions previously, she wasn’t winning out of turn and with good ground, seven-furlongs on a sharp, right-handed track being her optimum conditions, a bigger run is expected than her market position implies.