Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

Willie Mullins has dominated this sought-after prize in recent times so it makes sense to respect all six of his participants, but at the same time both EX PATRIOT (best price 10-1) and SMOKING GUN (best price 7-1) command plenty of attention of their own and they are taken against the field.

The former has been a model of consistency since joining the chasing ranks and his performances in a trio of Graded races so far this season suggest he’s better than ever. Not quite good enough to lower the colours of the very smart Battleoverdoyen in a Grade 2 affair at Punchestown two starts ago, Ellmarie Holden’s gelding was strongly fancied to capture a top-class handicap at Cheltenham last time out and although he came up a little short in a final analysis, he still ran a perfectly commendable race in fourth. Looking back at some of his performances as a novice and it’s noticeable that he finished a creditable fourth in a hot beginners chase on this card last year which contained none other than one of this season’s leading Champion Chase fancies, Cilaos Emery and subsequent Arkle hero Duc Des Genievres and even though he’s yet to prove himself over today’s trip, he’s certainly been shaping as distances shorter are on the sharp side for him nowadays.

The latter has even fewer miles on the clock over fences, just having the three outings so far to date, but he’s a fairly robust type mentally and he might just have enough quality to figure off what could turn out to be a fair mark.

Since just showing mild promise in a hot beginners chase at Fairyhouse on his first start over fences after a 194-day break, Joseph O’Brien’s seven-year-old improved in all departments to finish a close-up third in a similarly warm heat at Navan next time. Upped in trip for his latest venture, the son of Gold Well seemed to relish the task at hand in staying on too strongly for stable mate and last year’s Martin Pipe winner, Early Doors, and with him having landed a big-field handicap hurdle on his only previous visit to today’s track, there’s a degree of hope that he’ll be capable of making some sort of impact off his potentially dangerous mark.

MISS HERITAGE (best price 4-1) proven an instant hit on her first outing since wind surgery here last time out and she’s taken to press home her advantage of being the only C&D winner in the field.

A winner of two bumpers, Lucy Wadham’s mare took a few goes to find her feet in her new discipline, but everything all came together neatly at the Suffolk venue 37 days ago as she ran out a game winner against her own sex. Staying on stoutly off the home turn, she repelled the late rally of the well-fancied Molly Olly’s Wishes to record a pretty useful speed figure and with the runner-up going on to endorse the form with a win at Warwick yesterday, the daughter of Pour Moi can follow suit.

HOLLYWOODIEN (NAP) (best price 7-2) gave the impression he still had plenty to give when he departed the scene here last time out and providing he’s suffered no ill effects from that untimely exit, Tom Symonds’ gelding is fancied to make amends.

A lightly-raced type for a nine-year-old, his truncated career has been sprinkled with plenty of memorable moments along the way and given the way he was travelling before making a Horlicks of the fourth from home, his latest offering would have been right up there with some of the best. Successful on a previous visit to the Yorkshire venue last season, there’s clearly something about the galloping, left-handed flat track that the son of Martaline finds agreeable, and with almost identical conditions in place for him on his return visit, the nine-year-old grey can atone for his misfortune off the same mark.