Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

Comfortably the best two-year-old race run so far this season and having proven twice over that she’s right towards the top of the tree in this season’s vintage, RAFFLE PRIZE (best price 4-1) is fancied to maintain her progress despite the ground being a slight unknown.

Showing plenty of guts and determination, Mark Johnston’s filly ran out a game winner of the Queen Mary at Royal Ascot and with that form working out a treat subsequently, it was no surprise she was strongly-fancied to lower the colours of Albany scorer, Daahyeh, at Newmarket on her latest outing. Jumping out to make all, the daughter of Slade Power maintained tremendous fractions throughout and it came as no surprise to find out in the post-race analysis that she’d lowered the two-year-old course record. Clearly very fast, it remains to be seen whether this likeable chestnut will cope with today’s different examination under much more demanding conditions, but given that she’s shown a willing attitude in all her races so far to date, there’s no reason why she won’t put up a bold display.

MAGICAL EFFECT (best price 11-4) ran as well as could be expected from a terrible draw here last time, but now housed in a much more favoured stall, Ruth Carr’s seven-year-old should be capable of adding to his superb track record. Only once out of the frame in five starts at the Yorkshire venue, the son of New Approach finally got his deserved victory at the track three starts ago when he came with his usual late run to run down the in-form pair Tricky Dicky and Mujassam. A poor run through proved his undoing the next time but his latest effort on his return visit 11 days ago maintained his degree of excellence and providing he can worm his way through the pack without any interruptions, it’s hard to see him not being in the thick of the action.

SPRINGWOOD DRIVE (best price 3-1) doesn’t have any course form to call upon, but neither do many of her rivals, and she arrives here in such good heart that it’s impossible to avoid her obvious claims. A creditable runner-up in a strongly-run affair for the grade at Doncaster two starts ago, Tim Easterby’s filly justified heavy market support at Haydock last time out with a smooth performance and given how strong she was in the latter part of the race, a return to six-furlongs shouldn’t go amiss. Moreover, the overall form of her previous display on Town Moor seems even better now given the exploits of the third, Maid In Spirit, at Salisbury in midweek and off only a 6lb higher mark here this afternoon, she still gets to race against the sort of opposition that remains well within her range.