Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

BALLYHOME (best price 11-2) seems to save all his best form for today’s venue - as track stats of 21P1122 testifies – and following another productive result here on his most recent start, confidence is fairly high Fergal O’Brien’s make his eighth trip to the Lincolnshire countryside a winning one. 

Sent back over hurdles here after disappointing going left-handed at Uttoxeter the time before, the son of Westerner once again captured something approaching his best form when chasing home the very game Flashing Glance in a competitive handicap hurdle and with the fourth and fifth going on to win since, the form looks fairly solid. In good form over fences here back in the summer, decent ground is clearly a necessity for the nine-year-old, so with no rain forecast in the area of any great quantities, he should get the sort of surface that will allow him to perform to his best.

OPTUM (best price 5-1) went agonisingly close to getting off the mark in a similar race to today’s at Fairyhouse last time out and he looks worth another chance in the hope he just gets a little bit more of a conservative ride this time around. 

Aggressively ridden which ultimately led to him being well beaten in a hot maiden hurdle at Clonmel two starts ago, once again the son of Westerner wasn’t going to die not knowing at the Co Meath venue nine days ago as he was on the sharp end throughout. Looking likely to land the spoils as he touched down with a two length lead after the last, Eugene O’Sullivan’s gelding succumbed to the late rally of Beating The Odds in the dying strides (touched 1.01 in running), but with the pair well clear of the rest, it still has to go down as a fair effort on what was his handicap debut. Whether he has a glass chin or he’s just been victim of circumstance only time will tell, but either way, he’s a nice type who should be capable of winning races off his current mark, especially when racing over sharper tracks such as today’s.