Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

It’s a hell of a long way to travel from BALLYMACGROARTY BOY’s (best price 3-1) Devon base to today’s Northumberland venue but hopefully the journey will bear fruit and make the trip home seem a good deal shorter.

Nigel Hawke’s gelding has just had the four starts over fences, so he’s relatively unexposed, and his latest effort at Chepstow suggested he has a decent future in staying handicaps. Badly hampered at the start at the Welsh track as Garrane shied away from the tapes, the son of Milan found himself in rear in the early part of the contest and although he made up the lost ground to hold every chance down the straight, he couldn’t quite get on terms with the well-fancied and more prominently-ridden winner, Wayfinder. Moreover, the pair managed to run a faster overall time figure and final lap sectionals than the 135-rated The Wolf on the same card, based armed with that knowledge, there’s a strong possibility he will take advantage of his current mark of 116 if the first-time visor has the desired effect.

The first thing to point out here is the first two in the betting, Irish Ambassador and Kudbegood are 0-38 between them, so given their dodgy profiles, the suggestion is FOREIGN LEGION (best price 6-1) as a solid each-way alternative.

Firstly, five wins in a 28-race career is more than respectable and secondly, he arrives here in great heart courtesy of a victory at Listowel in a fast time three starts ago and a brave effort from a wide draw here last time out. Forced to go forward from stall 17 to get to the front here 12 days ago meant his legs went to jelly inside the last furlong, but to his great credit he did manage to keep on to finish a close-up third to the in-form Eglish. Better drawn today and back over a more suitable trip, the son of Declaration Of War should break well to race prominently before being kicked on to try and seal the deal early in the straight.

DREAMS DELIVERED (best price 3-1) is one of only a handful of previous winners in today’s line-up and following several solid placed efforts since that sole victory back in September – two of which have been at the Co Lugh venue – he looks booked to go close again in what appears a weak nursery on paper.

Fourth on his first all-weather start behind the useful Flight Zone, Darren Bunyan’s gelding then went on to run an amazing race when runner-up in a hugely-competitive contest at Naas a month later and that effort is by far and away the best single piece of form brought to the table here today. Drawn widest of all here last time out, the son of Morpheus did as well as could be expected to finish third in what turned out to be a well-run affair and now bettered position in stall four, it’s hard to see him not going very close to securing career win number two.