Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

PRES (best price 2-1) ran to a career-high best at Newbury last time out and even though he’s yet to step foot at today’s track, he still rates a confident choice to impose his qualities on this sort of field.

Runner-up to the game Ask The Weatherman at Plumpton previously, hope was high that Chris Gordon’s gelding could go one place better at the Berkshire venue and for majority of the 3m2f journey, it looked like he was going to add to his Lingfield success earlier in the season. Unfortunatley just outrun by the patiently-ridden Indian Brave in the closing stages, the six-year-old, however, did keep on strongly all the way to the line and with the pair pulled clear of the well-backed and useful Finacial Outcome, the form looks fairly solid. Moreover, the overall speed figure and final lap sectionals strongly suggest they were trapping along for a race of its nature (ran the last circuit two seconds quicker than the 2m chase winner Billingsley), so providing that big effort hasn’t left any lasting effect, the son of San Frontieres has a decent chance of highlighting his current lenient mark.

Not many in here with too much upside so it looks a decent opportunity for HAPPAUGUE (NAP) (best price 15/8) to duplicate his C&D win 63 days ago.

Going into that competitive contest following a pleasing effort when fourth over a mile, John McConnell’s was fancied by many to improve significantly for a step up in trip and so it proved, as he came sweeping through late on to claim the prize. The feature of that performance at the Co Lough track was the way he travelled off a decent gallop before putting the race to bed with a useful chance of gear and with the runner-up, Rock On Aidan, going on to advertise the form subsequently, it’s easy to come to the conclusion he was a well-handicapped horse in a modest race. Up 9lb for that cosy success, he doesn’t appear to be taking on anything out of the ordinary, and with Alhajjaj likely to go off pretty hard in a repeat to follow up his recent all-the-way success, the gallop should be to the son of Morpheus’s liking. It’s also worth pointing out he goes well fresh, so a 63-day break isn’t a concern (won after a 58-day layoff last time).