Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

HMS PRESIDENT (NAP) (best price 11-4) has still yet to win in four attempts so far this season but his body of work makes for impressive reading in the context of today’s race and with soft ground seen as a positive rather than a negative, Alan King’s gelding is strongly fancied to gain due rewards for some consistent performances.

Fourth in the ultra-competitive Golden Gates Handicap at Royal Ascot, the son of Excelebration has followed that up with two similarly impressive placed efforts in two top-quality middle-distance contests, the latest of which came out extremely well on the speed figures at Newbury. Tracking the leaders going well behind a strong pace, the three-year-old was delivered with looked a telling knockout blow at the two-furlong pole only to be cut down late on by the relentless run of the patiently-ridden Surrey Pride. However, the fact that the front two pulled well clear of some reliable older horses bodes well for the strength of the form and even though he faces several potential improvers in the shape of Ilaraab and Throne Hall, this likeable type has the qualities to put up a bold shout.

ARSONIST (best price 11-4) came on appreciably from his debut effort Chelmsford to record a tidy win at Leicester last time out and with the strong possibility of more to come, he’s fancied to take advantage of what appears a very favourable opening handicap mark of 78.

Too green to do himself justice at the Essex venue first time up, he still ran with plenty of promise and he wasted no time putting his valuable experience to good use a month later when staying on strongly late on to get the better of several well-fancied newcomers. Doing all his best work inside the final two furlongs of that seven-furlong affair, he looks sure to appreciate today’s extra distance based on that evidence and he can provide Richard Hannon with another winner in the two-year-old department.

VIOLA (best price 2-1) had to be marked down as a slightly unlucky loser here last time and she rates a decent bet to back up that theory on her return visit to the Surrey venue.

A big eye-catcher the time before in a well-run novice event at Yarmouth, the subsequent form of those involved in the finish at the seaside track meant she was quite a warm order to take advantage of what looked a fairly lenient opening handicap mark of 70, and although she couldn’t quite get the job done, it was more down to just being in the wrong place at the wrong time rather than her ability letting her down. Having the door slammed in her face several times down the home straight when seemingly going best, she narrowly failed to regain the momentum lost and she ended up having to settle for an agonising second, but that effort at least served the purpose of getting her acclimatised to today’s track and she can put that experience to good use hailing from a stable in fine fettle at present.