Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

Even Hexham’s stiff track wasn’t a sufficient enough test for RAYNA’S WORLD (best price 5-2) over two miles last time out but now stepping up three furlongs in trip and racing on proper demanding ground, Philip Kirby’s mare should turn out to be in her element.

Good enough to finish third in the Mares Hurdle at the Cheltenham Festival behind the high-class Concertista, it was no great surprise to see her make short work of a modest field on her seasonal return at Hexham, at the same time breaking her duck over hurdles, but it has to be said last time out was a bit of a shock. That said, the time figure of the race at the Northumberland venue was pretty hot for the track standards, so it wasn’t a total disgrace, and she’s worth another chance to show her qualities in a race her handler landed last season.

As we’ve seen in the past, the Betfair Stayers Handicap Hurdle run at Haydock has been the springboard for many to go on to do much bigger and better things in the three-mile division - Grand Crus and Paisley Park are two that spring to mind - so it wouldn’t come as the biggest shock in the world if this year’s winner, MAIN FACT (best price 17-2), or to a smaller degree, THIRD WIND (best price 22-1), were to punch above their weight in this much better contest on paper.

The former has been the revelation of the jumps scene and in scoring at the Merseyside venue a month ago he made an amazing nine wins on the spin under both codes. Whether he can be counted on to go to the well again is the big question, but there’s no doubt he will be in his element more than most when it comes to seeing out the demands of this race on ground verging on heavy and it’s a race the Pond House camp have had a fair bit of success in over the years.

The latter has a bit to find with his old rival based on their encounter 28 days ago, but he did go through the race like a quality horse and we know he stays a strongly-run contest over three-miles well. Indeed, his effort when fourth in the well-documented Pertemps Final at the Cheltenham Festival would have had him finishing nicely clear of Paisley Park based on the overall figure and sectional times of both races that day, so on that basis alone, he looks potentially underrated at over ten times the price of one of the main market leaders.

It was always going to be the case that Al Zaraqaan would claim most of the pre-race headlines on his first outing in handicap company, but at the same time, this will be a totally different test to what he’s faced so far, and at the prices, he’s passed over in favour of FURZIG (best price 11-1), who is far more acclimatised to this sort of environment.

A proper all-weather specialist, Richard Fahey’s gelding arrives here following really solid pieces of work in two competitive handicaps and there is an argument to be made that he may have landed one, if not both of them, had things panned out a little kinder. All dressed up with nowhere to go on the first occasion at Wolverhampton a month ago, the son of Monsieur Bond finished off his race strongly enough once in the clear to suggest he would have won with a clear run and then last time out he was victim of a slowly-run affair over today’s course. On the evidence of each display and, having scored over today’s C&D before, a return to 1m4f should suit and with the dead eight runners set to go to post, he makes the most appeal as the each-way alternative to the hot favourite.

The ability to see out the trip well in what is sure to be fairly arduous conditions come the last race of the two-day card are paramount and having proven himself well-suited by such demands with a display of some quality at Sandown last time out, BENSON (best price 15-2) rates a strong choice to repeat the dose.

A winner of two run-of-the-mill novice events in the Autumn period, Dr Newland’s gelding didn’t appear at first glance as an obvious standout candidate to slog his way through the mud at the Esher venue 14 days ago, but in doing so, he landed quite a punt for connections (10-1 into 9-2). The fact he also managed to achieve this feat by running against the bias and coming from way off the pace is testimony to his current wellbeing and if he hadn’t have made a costly error at the second last, there’s no doubt he would have won with even more authority. Clearly, the addition of a tongue-tie worked wonders for his overall levels of performance and with a good gallop looking almost certain with the likes of Not So Sleepy and Kid Commando in the field, everything should set up nicely for his trademark strong finish.