Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

Despite several smart placed efforts against useful novice company of late, TRINCOMALEE (best price 5-2) keeps leaving the impression he’ll be seen to much better effect on a livelier surface than the testing ground he’s been encountering during the winter and he’s strongly fancied to back up that view at a track that has served him well in the past.

A winner of a bumper at the Midland venue on good ground last season, Lucy Wadham’s gelding kicked off his hurdling career with a fine effort at Sandown back in November and with the winner, Keen On, and more predominately, runner-up Protektorat, both going on to advertise the form subsequently, he clearly ran to a fair level on debut. Three weeks later and an even better run ensued when he came from a long way back to finish a close-up third in a red-hot novice event at Newbury and with that event littered with smart and promising novices, it was easy to see why he was made a big odds-on chance to get off the mark over hurdles at Leicester last time out. Unfortunately, the son of Malinas got undone by a combination of coming up against a stronger stayer who handled the testing conditions better on the day, but at the same time, he was far from disgraced and he’s afforded another chance under conditions drying out by the hour.

FLINCK (NAP) (best price 11-4) managed to get the better of a similarly progressive type in the shape of The Con Man at Haydock last time out and with that horse going on to prove the value of the form with a very easy success at Kelso next time out (now rated 135), even a hike in the ratings might not be enough to prevent Philip Hobbs’ upwardly mobile gelding from going in again.

A cosy winner of a competitive handicap at Warwick previously, the son of Fame And Glory was fancied in many quarters to duplicate the feat at the Merseyside venue next time and under a patient and well-timed ride by Tom O’Brien, he came from a good bit off the pace to win going away. Moreover, his final lap sectionals were by far and away the best of the three hurdles races on the card, including the good two-mile novice won by Ebony Jewel, and with stamina allied to a good attitude two of his main assets, this likely tough examination on testing ground should prove right up his street.

BYTHESAMETOKEN (best price 10-3) is proving to be a pretty reliable performer of late and his good run of form looks set to continue over a course that he seemed to suit his run style last time out. Held up towards the rear at the Co Kildare venue, Ross O’Sullivan’s gelding had plenty to do at halfway, but he gradually worked himself in to a spot where he looked dangerous turning for home only to find a couple that just benefitted from better track position throughout. To his ultimate credit, however, he did keep on stoutly all the way to the line, and with his two previous efforts since being fitted with a tongue-tie – including a win at Navan – both stacking up well in the context of today’s race, the son of Fame And Glory still has plenty of potential off his current mark of 97.

As history dictates, novices appear to have a stranglehold over their elders in this ultra-competitive prize over the years (dominated by five-and six-year-olds since 2004), but with so many of today’s field falling in to the category of potentially well-handicapped, unexposed types, finding the winner looks to be trickier than ever. That said, one man who seems to have the golden touch when it comes to running the right kind of horse for the hustle and bustle nature of this prize is Nigel Twiston-Davies and with both of his representatives in this season’s renewal, STOLEN SILVER (best price 22-1) and SIR VALENTINE (best price 20-1), having many similarities to previous winners (Splash Of Ginge, Ballyandy and Al Dancer), they are taken against the field.

The former is a novice with a touch of class and his victory in the Grade 2 Rossington Main at Haydock came at the expense of two extremely progressive types in the shape of Edwardstone and Thebannerkingrebel. Showing great guts and determination to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, the son of Lord Du Sud proved that he stays a well-run two miles extremely well and with his previous runner-up spot at Cheltenham also working out as being another race of some substance, he has all the credentials to go close with any amount of luck in running.

The latter, from the same ownership, provides the amiable Naunton handler with a strong hand and his claims are also very compelling when you look as his achievements over hurdles in a short space of time. Beaten but not bowed by the very smart Ribble Valley in a novice hurdle that produced a big speed figure at Wetherby, the seven-year-old gelding went on to run creditably behind Not So Sleepy in the Betfair Trophy at Ascot next time and considering that was his first attempt in handicap company, his performer deserved plenty of credit. Indeed, if he hadn’t been badly hampered at an early stage, he might have finished a good deal closer (only had one behind him three out), and with him being only one of two previous C&D winners in the field, that valuable experience of the Berkshire venue will hopefully count for plenty. With some offering six places, both make plenty of each-way appeal.

The eventual winning margin of URTHEONETHATIWANT (best price 6-1) underplays the level of superiority he had over his rivals here 39 days ago and he rates a strong choice to vindicate that view and complete the hat trick.

Well-backed to make a successful seasonal return at Ludlow back in November, Jeremy Scott’s inmate readily justified the levels of confidence in him that day and he was once again extremely popular in the market to follow up over today’s C&D a month later. Always going easily from an early stage, the seven-year-old picked up the running travelled all over his rivals coming out of the back straight and even though the huge margin he built up in a short space of time from that point was whittled down on the run-in, he left the distinct impression he still had plenty up his sleeve. Only raised 8lb in the ratings, that level of punishment could have been a good deal worse, and hailing from a stable that continue in a rich vein of form, the lightly-raced son of Shantou would be a popular winner for the course regulars.