Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

THIRD WIND (best price 9-2), fourth in the final of this series last season, bids to kick off his campaign towards that likely target in the best possible fashion and providing he’s somewhere near his best after a 238-day sabbatical, Hughie Morrison’s gelding has a decent chance of imposing his class edge on his opponents.

Following an unsuccessful flirtation with fences, that vocation was soon scrapped and it was decided that a better option was for him to continue his progress over hurdles, and it was a choice that ended up being an inspired one. Quickly back on track with a convincing success in the Pertemps qualifier at Wincanton on Boxing Day, the son of Shirocco was put away for the conclusion of that series at the Cheltenham festival and although he didn’t quite manage to scoop the big pot, his performance was no less meritorious. In a race noted for its superior time figure and final circuit sectionals than the Grade 1 World Hurdle, even finishing eight lengths behind Sire Du Berlais saw him still batter the likes of Lisnagar Oscar and Ronald Pump in the supposed better quality race an hour later throughout the final mile or so and with both The Storyteller and Tout Est Permis already showing the value of the form this season, it would be a surprise if the winner himself and this six-year-old, didn’t go on to do great things themselves also during the rest of the campaign.

MORNING VICAR (NAP) (best price 3-1) did everything right other than win on his seasonal reappearance at Uttoxeter, but at least that defeat should have rekindled some confidence back into him following a crashing fall he encountered over today’s course almost a year earlier (going well at the time) and he’s fancied to build on that promise of 20 days ago and play a hand in the outcome of this quality-looking novices’ handicap. 

On a bit of a retrieval mission at the Midland venue, Nicky Henderson’s gelding glided along serenely at the head of affairs for majority of the journey, jumping well in the main, but in the end he was collared late on by the superior stamina of Demachine and he had to settle for an honourable second. That said, the pair were well clear of the rest, and with the time figure and final circuit sectionals suggesting it was a fair race of its kind, the son of Beneficial looks all geared up to fly the flag for the race in question at a track he’s gone well in the past.