Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

PRONOUCEMENT (best price 4-1) created a favourable impression in a useful maiden at Naas on her debut and with just normal improvement she’s fancied to make the sort of strides forward that will allow her to be even more competitive second time around.

Typically, of one of Johnny Murtagh’s first time out, the daughter of Declaration Of War was pretty green throughout the early exchanges and that meant she had a fair bit on her plate at the halfway stage. However, learning on the job, she picked up takingly inside the final two furlongs and the way she went through the line to finish a never-nearer fourth behind the useful A New Dawn suggested she would be a totally different proposition next time out.

The first juvenile contest of the season at Market Rasen was a fairly decent affair and even though POLA CHANCE (best price 9-2) came out fourth best behind the likes of What Will Be and Two Blondes, Nigel Hawke’s filly ran well enough to be a viable consideration in her bid to turn around the tables with her old rivals.

Unfancied in the marker beforehand, the daughter of Boris De Deauville belied her massive starting price of 40-1 with the way she travelled through the contest the Lincolnshire venue and under a fairly tender ride, she impressed with the way she finished off her race in the closing stages. Likely to be more streetwise this time around, it would come as a disappointment if she wasn’t capable of putting up a bold show.

MYSTIC SKY (best price 12-1) is used to running in these kind of events on a regular basis and all that previous knowledge she’s acquired along the way should stand her in good stead when it comes to facing up to some of today’s more inexperienced rivals.

A proper summer-jumping type who loves fast ground, Lucy Wadham’s mare prevailed when she had her ideal conditions at Warwick two starts ago and although she failed in her bid to repeat the dose last time out at Cartmel, the standard of opponent she met at the Lake District venue meant she still ran up to a pretty high level despite only finishing fourth. A high-cruiser who enjoys a fast pace, the daughter of Midnight Legend should get her wishes with the likes of Ravenous, Swaffam Bulbeck and Adjutant in the field and she looks overpriced at her double-figure quotes based on the pick of her best form.

BLACK MAGIC WOMAN (best price 16-1) has been readily dismissed by the bookmakers as having no chance in this Group 3 contest for fillies’ but that could be an extremely dangerous stance to take with a filly that has already shown a liking for today’s C&D.

A real seven-furlong specialist, Jack Davidson’s filly arrives here off the back of her best performance of her career so far to date and even though the standard of opponent she faces today is a good deal tougher, her speed figures suggest she has the qualities to hold her own. A filly with a liking for fast ground and a strong pace, there’s certainly been far worse 16-1 chances in the history of the game and she’s worth an each-way involvement with the dead eight field set to go to post.