Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

CHRISTMAS IN APRIL (best price 5-1) has shown that distances beyond three miles are well within his range on both his starts this season and being as he also arrives here one of the least-exposed members of today’s line-up, his fresh appetite for his new discipline can gain the day over a trip that should suit.

Only finding the strong-staying, sound-jumping La Cavsa Nostra too good on his first outing for 186 days at Chepstow back in November, Colin Tizzard’s gelding was fully expected to take care of three opponents at Fontwell on his next start and as it turned out, everything couldn’t have gone any smoother for this improving young chaser. Setting out to make the running, the son of Crillon went a good gallop throughout and then when challenged by the persistent Gleno inside the final half a mile, he found plenty reserves of stamina to fend off his main market rival. Despite the nature of the race, the time figure was good, in particular, his last circuit sectionals which showed he ran the final mile or so much quicker than the other two chase races on the same card (beat the 133-rated Quarenta by eight seconds). Moreover, the well-beaten third that day, Tea Time On Mars, has gone on to boost the form in no uncertain terms at Exeter in midweek and hailing from a stable that continue to thrive (Fiddlerontheroof and Molineaux two notable successes yesterday), the eight-year-old has a fine chance to add to the good strike-rate of his Dorset handler.

MOUNT WINDSOR (best price 9-2) had been way too keen for his own good on his first two starts over hurdles, but following a far more polished display under completely different tactics over today’s C&D last time out, there’s high hopes that Chris Gordon’s inmate can finally piece it all together over hurdles.

A dual bumper winner last season on good ground, including one over today’s course, the son of Mountain High was one of the yard’s big hopes for the campaign, so it must have come as a shock to all concerned with the way his antics counted against him in the early stages of his new career. Ridden with a good deal more restraint on his revisit to the Sussex venue 20 days ago, the five-year-old, as a result, managed to finish off his race with a good deal more purpose than he had previously and that performance should give connections plenty more confidence going forward. Even so, it’s noticeable that the five-year-old wears the hood for the first time this afternoon in order to aid him even further, and providing he does settle in the early stages, there’s a decent chance he can be extremely competitive in a race of this nature off what appears a fair opening mark of 105. Indeed, based on the time figure he posted behind his impressive stable mate Highway One O One here last time (odds on to land the first raced on the card), he has the beating of track specialist, Scrutinise, for one, and even though there’s also the lurking presence of the in-form Light Squeeze as another additional headache, he should be capable of holding his own at the very least if the headgear does work.