Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

EVEN FLIGHT (best price 11-2) ran a remarkable race at Limerick last time out and a performance anywhere near the same standard here this afternoon should see Philip Fenton’s gelding go extremely close to shedding the maiden tag.

Jumping off to race prominently, the son of Spider Flight inadvertently found himself hooked up in a suicidal gallop with two other rival’s intent on making the running and, as a result, he gave himself little chance of winning. To his great credit, therefore, to keep on as well as he did to finish a respectable third – only beaten five lengths – is testimony to his ability, and with today’s sharp track often playing the hands of prominent racers, the strapping six-year-old should give a bold account.

As we leave the last decade behind, the one overriding feature about racing on the New Course at Cheltenham in that period has been the apparent advantage prominent racers have enjoyed on the chase track, so with that in mind, CEPAGE (best price 10-1) is fancied to capitalise on his tendency to race up with the pace.

Fairly lightly-raced for a seven-year-old, Venetia Williams’ gelding arrives here after another solid performance over today’s C&D and if it wasn’t for a couple of notable blunders at important phases of the contest (first one down the back straight was a particularly jolting blow), he may have bettered his eventual fourth-place finish behind the front-running Warthog. Prior to that smart effort, the son of Saddler Maker had been the only one capable of offering any kind of resistance to the massively-improved Riders Onthe Storm at Aintree a month earlier and given the subsequent exploits of the winner that day (third, Oldgrangewood also won since), it’s pretty clear he faced an impossible task. Fourth and second respectively on his two other previous visits to Prestbury Park in recent times, today’s course clearly suits and with conditions also in his favour, it’s easy to fashion a fairly strong case for another solid display from a horse only out of the first four once in 17 completed starts.

NORMAL NORMAN (best price 5-1) arrives here in terrific heart courtesy of a smooth victory on the all-weather Kempton and with his confidence bound to be sky-high, he’s fancied to carry that wellbeing forward on his return to hurdles in this competitive handicap.

Pulled up in the Supreme Novices’ when last seen over hurdles, John Ryan’s inmate had previously been seen to good effect around today’s sharper track in this race last season, so it’s easy to see why connections would have had this contest in mind for him for quite some time. Warming up nicely in his bid to retain his title with an effortless success over a mile at Kempton a month ago, his preparations couldn’t have gone any smoother and he rates a solid each-way pick at the morning odds.

THE JAM MAN (best price 6-1) has yet to race around this demanding track, so he does have questions to ask on that front, but he represents a set of connections who are intent in finding out whether they’ve got a genuine contender for glory back here in March so he’s worth a small interest to offset that slight query.

Arriving here in tremendous nick courtesy of a four-timer, Ronan McNally’s gelding completed the nap-hand with a quality display at Navan last time out and if the speed figure is anything to go by, the standard of his performance that day should give him every chance of going close here if capable of running to the same level.

CASTLEBAWN WEST (best price 5-1) may be the second strong of the Willie Mullins pair on paper, but, unlike his stable companion, he’s already proven over today’s C&D with an excellent effort on chase debut back in November and a repeat of the same standard of performance will surely be good enough to secure him a podium finish with a clear round.

A useful 135-rated hurdler, the son of Westerner has always had the look and build of a chaser and even though he didn’t manage to win at the first time of asking over fences, his display in what turned out to be an extremely hot race of its kind was certainly not without promise. Keeping on well after the last, the lightly-raced six-year-old finished in and around the likes of Speak Easy, Galvin and the subsequent winner Bapaume, and even taking into account the three ahead of him in the betting are all useful, it’s not as if they are total world-beaters either.

OCEAN WIND (best price 11-1) really impressed with the way he quickened to run down his field at Huntingdon on debut and with today’s long drag from the home turn to the line expected to play into his strengths, the four-year-old is a sporting choice to provide his handler, who’s best known for his exploits on the Flat, with a rare winner at the home of National Hunt racing.

Apparently unfancied for his opening gambit at the Cambridgeshire track, Roger Teal’s colt belied his market weakest with a performance of some merit and based on the strength of opposition he beat, he doesn’t appear out of place in today’s contest.