Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

DIME A DOZEN (best price 11-2) has got tons of experience thanks to her exploits in the point-to-point field and bumpers alike and following an encouraging performance at Listowel on her hurdling debut, she’s fancied to piece it all together to get off the mark at the second time of asking.

A winner at Tramore previously, Shark Hanlon’s mare was strongly supported in the market beforehand 27 days ago although she came up a little short in the final reckoning, the numbers from that race at the harvest festival suggest she was by no means disgraced. Having led at the second last, the daughter of Jeremy just didn’t have the natural pace of the winner and runner-up on the run-in but she kept on battling away for a gallant third and when you add into the mix the final lap time of those involved in the finish compared to the rest of the card, it puts an extra sheen on the contest as a whole. Moreover, the fourth home, Whatucallher, has gone on to advertise the form with a success at Clonmel last week and with today’s extra half a mile likely to play more into her strengths, it’s hard to see the five-year-old not having a huge say in the final outcome.

OH’HEREWEGO (NAP) (best price 7-2) is one of only two C&D winners in the field and with that notable feature added to his improving profile coming into today’s contest, Val O’Brien’s gelding is taken to repeat his success in this race last year.

A promising fourth at Ballinrobe two starts ago, the 10-year-old chestnut was nibbled at in the market before his latest assignment at the Listowel Festival and if it wasn’t for the useful and improving Mindsmadeup, he would have rewarded those who backed him in from 33-1 to 14-1. Travelling well throughout, he made the progressive winner pull out all the stops late on, but with the time figure very good and the pair well clear of the rest, it’s easy to argue that the son of Medaaly ran to somewhere near his very best. The mere fact the winner was punted off the boards to land a much better contest at Gowran at the weekend (finished fourth) suggests some decent judges heavily believe in the same form line and with today’s soft ground conditions not seen as any hindrance towards his prospects, the veteran can still show the younger brigade a thing or two in this slightly weaker contest.