Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

The way REDROSEZORRO (best price 9-2) went through his last race at Carlisle signalled a horse right on top of his game at the moment and he’s strongly fancied to maintain his current levels of form back at a track where he’s enjoyed quite a bit of success in the past.

A big eye-catcher the time before at Chester when he ran a blinder from a terrible draw, Eric Alston’s gelding was well punted to confirm the impression he created on the Roodee next time and having travelled into the lead going well at the two pole at the Cumbrian venue, he only had to be nudged out to assume command in the latter stages. Heavily eased down close home, the son of Foxwedge scored with a good deal more in hand than the official winning margin suggested, so to only come away with a 5lb penalty seems very generous to say the least. Other than one poor run towards the backend of the season when the ground was maybe a little more testing than he’d prefer, his form figures at today’s Yorkshire venue read 3231112 and having been handed a fairly favourable draw in stall four, the five-year-old can press home in course knowledge with seemingly plenty in his favour.

As Rudyard Kipling once famously said, “The female of the species is more deadly than the male” and that quote can also be applied to three-year-old fillies at this time of year in handicaps. With that in mind, EASTER ORCHID (best price 11-2) could well turn out to be extremely well treated off an opening gambit of just 67 and it would come as a surprise if she doesn’t play some sort of role in this sort of company considering how well she’s been faring against stiffer opposition. On her latest outing, for instance, she was noted doing some good late work in a useful fillies’ maiden at Tipperary without being unduly punished and that coincided with an encouraging effort on her debut last season when sixth of 15 behind the Group 1 filly, Pink Dogwood. On all three starts to date, the Camelot filly has shaped like she requires further, in-keeping with her pedigree, and providing she has the knowhow to handle tonight’s sharp, left-handed circuit, a race like this is surely within her capabilities.

LADY AVERY (NAP) (best price 7-1) proved no match for Aweeminit at Bangor last time out, but nevertheless, it was still a healthy effort by Alan Jones’ mare and if the speed figure that the front two produced is anything to go by, she’s got every chance of getting off the mark on just her seventh start under rules.

A former point winner on soft ground back in 2016, the daughter of Westerner has been fairly lightly raced since and with her latest performance coming off the back of a 267-day break, it’s clear that connections have had to show a fair amount of patience. Backed at fancy prices nine days ago, there was obviously a good degree of confidence behind her chance and considering she was the only one to offer any sort of resistance to the well-supported winner, those that got involved in the punt clearly got their sums spot on. Indeed, it’s worth pointing out that the front two, who pulled well clear of the rest in a decent speed figure, also ran the last circuit quicker than the very much in-form mare See The Sea (rated 125), who had the luxury of running three furlongs less. Based on those findings, therefore, the seven-year-old ran miles better than her rating that day of just 76, so even allowing for the fact she races from out of the handicap here tonight (only 7lb wrong if you include Connor Brace’s claim), there’s a crystal clear case for her still being extremely well treated and she looks vastly overpriced if she can run anywhere near the same standard.