Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

A really weak-looking staying maiden by the track standards and it’s a race well within the capabilities of FIL THE POWER (best price 3-1) on the evidence of his last two starts and he should be played accordingly.

Tried in the first time blinkers at Tipperary two starts ago, Matthew Smith’s gelding showed a dramatic rise in his performance levels as he stayed on strongly all the way to the line to force the well-fancied Magic Chegaga pull out all the stops. Upped in trip and on slightly softer ground at Fairyhouse last time out, the son of Power impressed with the way he travelled throughout and although he ultimately proved no match for the eventual winner. Jason The Militant, there was no disgrace in chasing him home considering the sort of numbers Henry De Bromhead’s star six-year-old was knocking out. Likely to appreciate the rhythm of today’s 1m4f journey around the galloping nature of the Co Kildare venue, the three-year-old’s cruising speed should carry him deep into the heat of battle before being asked to go and seal the deal late on.

As we know, a clean break resulting in a good early track position is one of the key ingredients to success on the fibresand at the Midland venue. so having failed in her bid to execute that main criteria here last week which ultimately led to her downfall, NORTHERN CHARM (best price 5-2) is afforded another chance to make amends and turn the form around with Global Melody.

Having her first outing at the track seven days ago, David Brown’s filly got off to the worst possible start when squeezed out between two rivals after a few strides and, as a result, she found herself some way adrift and playing catch-up by halfway. From where she was with three to run, to end up finishing a never-nearer second was a tremendous effort by the daughter of Equiano, and with that initial effort on the surface likely to leave many positive credits in the bank for her return visit, she rates the value call at the morning prices.

SIDEREAL (best price 9-2) has been too exuberant for his own good on his last two starts at today’s track but despite those antics, he’s still managed to piece together enough positivity to suggest a drop back down in trip might well work the oracle on his return visit.

An all-the-way winner over seven-furlongs on the turf three outings ago at Salisbury, Andrew Balding’s gelding was pitched into a hot little contest on his start in handicap company at the Essex venue and he went well for a large period until he just didn’t quite see it out as well as some others inside the final furlong. Well-backed when returning to the scene of that fine effort a month later, the three-year-old made his intentions clear from the start by serving it up from the front right from the beginning and it was only in the dying strides this time that he just failed to get the job done. Helping created a very fast speed figure, the son of Galileo clearly has a decent engine and with a good draw and a drop back to is likely to turn out to be close to his optimum trip in the long term, he should give a bold account from the front.