Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

ROUGH DIAMOND (NAP) (best price 7-1) wouldn’t be your archetypal Irish sprint handicap winner having only had the one run, but despite his lack of experience, he has enough natural ability to make his presence felt over a track which saw him make a sparkling debut two months ago. 

Sent off 28-1 at the Co Kildare venue, clearly not much was expected of Edward Lynam’s gelding, but despite the apparent lack of confidence in him making a winning debut, he defied his market weakness in some style. Noted going well just off the pace at halfway, the son of Starspangledbanner still had plenty to find at the two-furlong pole, but producing a bright turn of foot inside the final furlong, he engulfed many of the main players to eventually win going away. Although he might have to improve again to mix it with some experienced handicappers at today’s track, such as Blairmayne and Beckwith Place, to name but two, he strikes you as being a horse capable of reaching greater heights further down the line and being as he’s already proven on testing ground, he rates the most intriguing runner in the field and is worth a decent bet to back up the visually impression he created 50 days ago. 

A CASE OF YOU (best price 20-1) may have only landed a relatively small maiden at Down Royal last time out, but he did it in the style of a potentially smart colt and he looks massively underestimated in the market in what appears on paper a fairly weak-looking Group 3. 

A smooth winner of a barrier trail at Dundalk back in July, John McConnell’s colt looked like he was going to keep his unbeaten run intact on his racecourse debut Bellewstown until he just got a tired late on in the heavy ground. On to the Co Down track a month later and he once again went through the race like a smart horse, but this time with race conditioning under his belt he managed to get the job done, finding a smart turn of foot to seal the deal inside the final two furlongs. Moreover, he managed to achieve that feat despite being forced to race out wide from a bad draw and with today’s stiff six-and-a-half-furlong trip on testing ground likely to suit something such as him who stays well, he strongly fancied to outstrip his morning odds.

Despite finishing down the field on her debut over today’s course, the mere fact MIRAMIS (best price 50-1) was allowed to contest the Group 2 Debutante Stakes on her debut tells you how well she’s regarded at home and with today’s contest looking a good deal easier to the one she faced 50 days ago, she’s another who looks to be overpriced in the morning lists.

Although she was sent off 100-1 at the Co Kildare venue, the way she travelled through the contest belied her market position and it was only the fact she was heavily eased once her winning chance had gone that she ended up being beaten so far. Still hard on the bridle going down to the final furlong, it was only at that point when her early antics of being slow away and green took its toll, but with the form of the race red-hot (winner landed the Group 1 Fillies’ Mile at Newmarket two days ago) and today’s shorter trip sure to suit, the daughter of The Gurkha has to be worth a small each-way investment to back up the initial impression she created.

Sonnyboyliston has been one of the revelations over in Ireland this season, improving from a rating of 68 to where he is now on 122, and while the temptation is to stay loyal to Johnny Murtagh’s gelding is his bid to make the smooth transition to pattern company, the better option at the prices is to go with HELVIC DREAM (best price 13-2) in the without the favourite markets.

Although Noel Meade’s gelding has five lengths to make up on his old rival, it’s worth pointing out that he gave away plenty of ground here last time out by racing wide and eventually veering over towards the stands side, so even though for one minute I’m not suggesting for one minute he’s going to turn around the form, there’s strong possibility he will finish a good deal close this time around. Additionally, the son of Power has shown a istinct liking for testing conditions in the past, borne out by his two wins under such conditions as a two-year-old, and hailing from a yard who made a breakthrough in a race of this nature at the last meeting, it wouldn’t come as the biggest shock in the world if this chap were to follow suit.

CAPE GENTLEMAN (best price 8-1) is a tricky one to assess in many respects as we’ve only got one piece of evidence to work on, but based on his levels of performance at the Listowel festival a few weeks ago, he could easily be up to the standard required for a race of this nature and he’s worth a small interest to find out whether that is the case.

In what looked a strong renewal of the sought-after Failte Abhaile amateur riders race at the harvest festival, Emmet Mullins’ gelding impressed how well he travelled from the start and although he didn’t quite have the turn of foot that the winner, Mt Leinster, produced in the latter stages, he still kept on well enough to finish a creditable second. Based on the winner being rated 95, the son of Champers Elysees seems to have done quite well coming out of the race with 85, and with the third home, Arcadian Sunrise, bolting up at Thurles in midweek, the form looks extremely solid. Moreover, considering it was his first outing for 405 days, the four-year-old is bound to come on for the run and with a step up in trip not seen to be any great issue, this unexposed chestnut can keep this contest with the family Mullins. 

INTERNAL TRANSFER (best price 18-1) appeared to be full of running when capsizing at the first fence away from the stands on the final circuit of the Kerry National last time out, much to the dismay of his supporters, but providing he’s suffered no ill effects from that untimely tumble, Eric McNamara can gain quick compensation over a track which has served him extremely well in the past. 

3-3 at the Greenmount Park track going into this race last year, it was easy to see why he was sent off a warm 4-1 favourite to walk away with the prize, but after a bad mistake four out followed by a slow jump at the final ditch, he was eventually pulled up. Given it was only his fourth run over fences and he had a hard race in the Kerry National previously maybe a combination of both factors caused him to check out so abruptly, but either way, he looks to be back on track on the evidence of his two outings and he make plenty of each-way appeal at the morning prices.