Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

Some highly-promising novices on show in the curtain raiser to what should be a cracking two days at the Berkshire venue and COCONUT SPLASH (best price 5-1) is fancied to put his experience to good use following an excellent effort on his hurdling debut at Aintree last month.

A former point winner in Ireland, Even Williams’ inmate was fairly easy to back at the Merseyside track, but that didn’t stop him putting it up to the strongly-fancied Imperial Alcazar in a dour battle over the last half a mile. Just going down by a nose, the pair also posted a very fast time for a race of its kind and with the third, Big Bad Bear, going on to endorse the form at Wetherby next time, the son of Stowaway has the combination of pace and stamina to see out a well-run two miles better than most.

Whether SHAN BLUE (best price 10-3) turns out to be all style but no substance remains to be seen, but he’s worth another chance to find out so well did he travel up against a similarly promising type in the shape of Redford Road at Wetherby on hurdles debut. Third in a Warwick bumper that has worked out well since, Dan Skelton’s inmate was backed as if defeat was out of the question at the Yorkshire venue and although he failed to get the job done after looking all over the winner down the straight, the time figure suggested it was still a decent effort up against a horse who clearly has a big engine and heart in equal measures. Likely to go as well as anything here again today’s let’s hope he can find the necessary knockout blow once asked to go and win his race.

Kalashnikov is the big headline act here and he looks sure to go well following an encouraging return to action in the Old Roan Chase at Aintree, but an equally compelling case can be made for course specialist GALA BALL (best price 9-1) and at the prices, he rates the percentage each-way call.

Form figures at the Berkshire of 122221 heavily suggest that Philip Hobbs’ inmate loves nothing more than this flat, galloping left-handed track and his latest performance over today’s C&D back up in March backed up his previous effort on his seasonal reappearance in a red-hot handicap earlier in the same month. A solid jumper with a decent cruising speed and ability to stay well off a sound pace, connections will have no doubt left nothing to chance with this fairly fragile nine-year-old (had leg problems in the past) and with conditions to suit, it’s hard to see him not having some sort of say in the outcome if fully tuned up.

Dark Vader looks sure to be popular based on the kind of horses he’s been tackling on the turf, but Micky Halford has already had a good look at him thanks to Roman Turbo at the Curragh last time out and his representative here, HIEROGLYPHIC (NAP) (best price 9-4) is fancied to build on her promising debut effort and get the better of the morning line favourite.

As is often the case with a juvenile from the Co Kildare handler first time up, she was a little green throughout the early exchanges 21 days ago, but once he began to realise what the game was all about, she came home to good effect to finish a never-nearer second to the well-backed and more experienced Music To My Ears. Likely to improve significantly for that initial education, the daughter of Exceed And Excel should make a bold bid to break her duck with a decent break from a favourable draw.

ALABASTER (best price 13-2) isn’t exactly a win machine, but he usually runs to a fair standard and being one of the few in tonight’s line-up guaranteed to stay the two-mile trip, he rates the solid each-way option.

Formerly with Sir Mark Prescott, the five-year-old grey hit the frame no fewer than seven times in his last eight starts for his ex-Newmarket handler and the same story unfolded for new connections as he immediately gave them a return on their investment over tonight’s track a week ago. Easy to back due to concerns about the 1m2f trip being someway short of his best, the son of Archipenko belied his market unease with a pleasing effort behind the rejuvenated Lady De Vinci and with that outing bound to have put a nice edge to his sharpness, he can now come into his own over a more suitable distance.