Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

Some painfully exposed sorts in this modest maiden so it may pay to look towards the likes BAN OG (best price 16-1) and DRUMQUINA (best price 11-2) to cause a bit of a stir.

The former has just had the one start but it was a run full of promise by John Murphy’s filly and she rates a promising type in the context of tonight’s race. Although she couldn’t quite go with several more experienced performers late on at Navan 11 days ago, she kept on quite well enough after travelling nicely in mid-pack from halfway and granted just normal improvement, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock if she was much more competitive on this occasion.

The latter is gradually improving with each run and although only third of six runners over tonight’s course last time, the finishing position only tells half the story. As the race panned out at the Co Kildare venue, she ended up being drawn in the wrong part of the track and in beating the likes of 90-rated Julia’s Magic and 79-rated Empire State on the un-favoured far side, she clearly ran much better than her assessment of 62 suggests. Whether stall one works out in her favour this evening is open to question, but either way, she’s shown enough ability at a variety of trips to suggest she should be some sort of factor in a race of this nature.

UK runners have enjoyed a good deal of success on their raids to the Emerald isle so far this season and SHIMMERING DAWN (best price 5-1) has a fine chance to add her name to the list of honour in this listed prize.

Unbeaten in her last three starts, James Tate’s filly completed her hat trick in pretty impressive style at Chelmsford last time out, with the feature of her performance arriving from the fact she was the only horse on the seven-race card to win from the back of the field. Last turning for home, the daughter of Morpheus blew her rivals away with a huge turn of foot inside the final two furlongs and having shown she’s equally adept on the grass the time before, a return to that surface shouldn’t pose too many problems for this improving filly.

MACHINE LEARNER (best price 10-3) had been struggling for form until returning to his happy hunting ground here last time out and a performance of a similar nature should be good enough to see him back in the winner’s enclosure.

Soundly beaten on his previous two outings of the campaign, Joseph Tuite’s gelding was understandably sent off one of the outsiders over tonight’s C&D 19 days ago, but if hadn’t met trouble in running at a crucial stage down the home straight, there’s little doubt he would have belied his position in the market. That effort went a long way to vindicating the opinion that the six-year-old saves all his best form for the Esher venue (form figures of 4122) and under similar conditions and strength of opposition, hope is high he can defy top weight.

Alicia Darcy arrives here in excellent heart and will obviously have her supporters on her hat trick bid, but life won’t be quite straightforward up against MONTALVAN (best price 9-4) who’s unlikely to go down without a fight.

Roger Fell’s took 12 starts to finally get off the mark, but it was a victory that certainly wasn’t out of the blue. Two creditable runner-up spots on his two previous outings suggested his winning turn was imminent and with a positive ride at Ripon four days ago, he scored with plenty in hand. Out again quickly to strike while the iron is hot, the son of Lope De Vega will also receive all the assistance he needs with the irresistible Danny Tudhope in the saddle.