Andy Holding's Tuesday Racing Tips

As we saw yesterday with Lady Bowthorpe scoring at Lingfield, the form of the novice event won by subsequent winner Mutamaasik is pretty watertight (runner-up won too), and having shaped with plenty of encouragement to finish a never-nearer sixth that day, MAYNE (best price 10-3) rates a confident choice to keep the flag flying for that excellent Chelmsford heat.

Racing just off the pace at halfway at the Essex track, Andrew Balding’s colt just got done for a bit of tactical speed as the field rounded the home straight, but once he found his stride in the straight, he came home with plenty of purpose down the outside to finish on the heels of some very useful three-year-olds. Looking the type who will benefit from that initial experience and by racing over further today, the son of Dansili can play a major role providing Oisin Murphy can get some early cover from his outside berth.

WANAASAH (best price 7-4) turned in a career-high performance when winning by a wide margin at Wolverhampton last week and she’s a strong choice to repeat the dose under a similarly aggressive ride.

Racing in the first-time hood at the Dunstall Park venue, David Loughnane’s filly wanted to ensure the tempo was a high one from the start, and even though she was momentarily taken on and hassled for the lead heading out for the final circuit, she shook off the attentions of her closest pursuer and just kept pounding out the fractions all the way to the line. Despite being heavily eased close home, she still recorded a big overall speed figure and final circuit splits respectively and providing she can dictate matters in a similar fashion here this afternoon, she likely to make her opponents hurt.

UNEXPECTED DEPTH (NAP) (best price 9-4) was never competitive last time out at Ballinrobe, but that was largely due to almost being wiped out by a faller at the very first hurdle and he’s worth another chance to make amends in what looks a decidedly weak affair.

Given time to recover at the Co Mayo track, the son of Shantou was obviously sympathetically handled thereafter, but it was noticeable that he still had plenty of running left in his legs in the latter stages judged by how he came home on the run-in and that’s hopefully an insight into what kind of ability he actually holds in his locker going forward. Having previously shaped well in two hot novice hurdles at Grade 1 tracks, Oliver McKiernan’s gelding is clearly much better than what his form figures suggest and being a former point-to-point winner, he should relish tonight’s step up in trip and stiff uphill finish. Just as importantly, his two main opponents don’t appear the strongest representatives their powerful connections have sent to post for a race of this nature either. Valley Breeze has yet to place in five starts for Willie Mullins, while Dark Decade only beat two horses home in first-time cheekpieces in an 18-strong handicap hurdle at The Galway Festival, so Unexpected Depth doesn’t have too much to worry about on that score.