Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

NOTATION (NAP) (best price 11-4) just got the better of Hermocrates over today’s C&D back in October and Mark Johnston’s filly in taken to confirm her superiority over her old rival on the basis she may just be a little more willing when push comes to shove.

Setting a good gallop from the start on her first visit to the Midland venue, the daughter of Poet’s Voice had most of her opponents at full stretch coming out of the back straight and despite the persistent threat of John Mackie’s charge in the latter stages, she found the necessary reserves of stamina to bat him away. Time figure-wise, the race in question was very good for the grade, so there’s no surprise to see the well-beaten third home, Mr Carbonator, win since, and also herself going on to run to an even higher level on the numbers in defeat on her return to the fibresand a month later. Up against an improving colt in the shape of the well-backed Sky Power, the three-year-old produced another brave effort by forcing the winner to pull out all the stops late on, but with the pair 12 lengths clear of the rest, the form looked above-average for the grade. Beaten again away from his favoured surface at Wolverhampton last time, it’s clear the demands of today’s track suit her run-style well rather than the slicker tapeta, and with another forceful ride likely to be the order of the day again, she can push her six rivals into unsuitably uncomfortable areas.

There was a lot to like about the way PUY MARY (best price 7-2) shaped on her debut at Lingfield last time out and she just gets the nod over the similarly promising Melody Of Life on value grounds.

Sent off 11-2 in a well-contested field of 13 at the Surrey venue, Roger Varian’s filly settled nicely to sit in midfield at halfway and although she never looked like landing the prize, she did more than enough in the latter stages to suggest there are plenty of decent races to be won with her further down the line. Staying on takingly in to third, she came home in pleasing fashion behind two who’d already had a previous outing (22.2 from two out) and with that all-important experience under her belt, the daughter of Intello is likely to prove a more professional model second time around over a trip that should suit.

THE TRADER (best price 9-4) couldn’t quite repel the late challenge of Koeman at Wolverhampton last time out, but with the pair nicely on from the rest and time figure revealing they’d both run close to career-highs, Mark Johnston’s gelding is strongly fancied to resume winning ways.

Despite not being a prolific winner, (3-21), the four-year-old grey has often run well in defeat and with some of those losses coming in some pretty big and competitive handicaps, he can never be faulted for his application. Since finishing a highly creditable fourth the best three-year-old handicap of 2019 won by Trueshan as Newmarket, the son of Mastercraftsman has only disappointed once, and his latest performance strongly indicates he’s back to something close to his best. Despite the small field at the Dunstall Park track, the pace sorted the men from the boys and if today’s contest develops along the same lines, hopefully his stamina can prove the key component in the final analysis.