Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

Competitive fair, but well within the range of GET BACK GET BACK (best price 7-2) based on his latest performance at Uttoxeter and he’s taken to repeat the dose against similar opposition.

Harry Fry’s three-time Flat winner has taken a while to find his feet over hurdles, but since fitted with a tongue-tie, he’s pieced together two much better efforts, culminating in a smooth victory 24 days ago. Picking up the running going well two out, the son of Lord Shanakil ensured he maintained the advantage with a good jump at the last, and even though John Constable put in a spirited finish on the run-in, he always looked in control. Bound to have had his confidence boosted by that first success over timber, the five-year-old arrives here on a crest of a wave and with his time figure at the Midland venue also strongly suggesting we are dealing with an improved character, a mandatory rise in the ratings doesn’t seem likely to stop him from continuing his progression.

DAME DANDY (best price 15-2) has had three bites at the cherry to no avail, but she has run to an extremely good standard in defeat and a repeat of any of her performances should see her going very close to breaking her maiden tag.

A promising runner-up on her debut at Naas, Jim Bolger’s filly was well-supported to go one place better on her next outing at the Curragh, but she didn’t quite match up to expectations when only fourth behind the useful debutante, Teresa Mendoza. That said, the time figure of the race at the Co Kildare track suggested she’d run to a decent level despite finishing out of the money and with the runner-up going on to boost that theory next time, connections had no reason to feel too downhearted. Indeed, her latest effort when runner-up to Fourhometwo from a bad draw at Galway was a clear step back in the right direction, and with today’s high draw (stands’ side seems place to be on recent evidence) and soft ground seen as massive positives, the daughter of Dandy Man looks meat and drink for the each-way bandits.

AMOR DE MI VIDA (best price 9-1) and QUEEN OF RIO (best price 40-1) both have a bit to prove facing this sort of company for the first time, but they’ve both exhibited enough star quality at a fairly low level to suggest connections aren’t exactly tilting at windmills and at the morning odds, they are each worth a small shy at the stumps. 

The former just got done for match fitness when caught out by the more experience Bowman on her debut at Lingield, but she more than made up for that defeat at York last time out by going one place better in decisive fashion. Always to the fore, Archie Watson’s filly pushed a healthy pace on from the start and then when asked to seal the deal inside the final furlong, she found a ready turn of foot from the front to pull away in impression style. Clocking a good overall time, the daughter of Dabirsim also posted the fastest last three-furlong split on the seven-race card to boot and with the potential of putting in an even improved effort now dropping back down to the minimum trip, she has the gears to go well for a long way at the very least.

The latter only landed a minor event on her debut at Ripon but considering she had to overcome a degree of greenness and being berthed in the coffin box stall one, her performance deserves massively upgrading. Being stuck out on the wing and forced to race down the middle of the straight track at the Yorkshire venue isn’t ideal at the best of times, but when we are dealing with an unraced two-year-old who hasn’t got the physical development to deal with such circumstances, it puts into some context what Adrian Keatley’s filly achieved 33 days ago. Additionally, her time figure and sectionals also back up the overall aspect of her display and with her draw in stall four likely to be fairly favourably based on what happened here yesterday (middle to low draw seemed best), she has the capabilities to easy outrun her odds. 

Jojo Rabbit has shown himself to be a useful juvenile with two wins already on the board, but at the same time, there’s a slight suspicion that he might just be a better operator on the all-weather at this stage of his career and he’s therefore passed over in favour of ROLFE REMBRANDT (NAP) (best price 3-1). 

Just touched off by the more experienced Rebel At Dawn at Doncaster on his debut, Michael Scudamore’s gelding was a good deal shorter in the betting to go one place better on his return visit just over two weeks later and although he failed in his bid to justify the confidence in him that day, hindsight strongly suggests he was up against the wall taking on subsequent listed winner Ubettabelieveit. In deep again last time out at Haydock when unable to match the finishing kick of impressive winner Rhythm Master, the numbers at the Merseyside venue point heavily in favour of the theory the winner belongs in Group class (entered in both the Acomb and Gimcrack at York) and now dropping back in trip with some cut in the ground seen as ideal, the scopey son of Dutch Art looks massively overpriced based on his time figures and overall levels of form compared to most of his rivals.

CYRUS DALIN (best price 8-1) often takes a few runs to find top form and having not run too badly on his three starts so far to date, now looks about the time to catch Denis Hogan’s gelding. 

Staying on from the back of the field from a bad draw at the Curragh on his seasonal reappearance, he quickly marked himself down as a handicapper worth keeping on side and his next outing at Leopardstown when a keeping-on fourth only further backed up that viewpoint. Posted out on the wing in stall 18 in the massively-competitive Ahonoora Premier Handicap at Galway last time out, the son of Roderic O’Connor gave out even more positive signals that his winning turn was imminent by keeping on very strongly off the home turn to finish a never-nearer seventh to the well-backed Current Option. Time figure-wise, the contest at Ballybrit came out easily the best on the eight-race card and with the winner going on to land a listed event here subsequent and Flaming Moon and Lord Rapscallion also both winning since, the form is about as good as it gets at that level. With the greatest respect to today’s opponents, this 1m handicap rates a huge jump down in quality compared to that strong affair 14 days ago and with most of his best form coming a mile on soft ground, everything looks in place for a big effort from this likable six-year-old.