Andy Holding's Saturday Racing Tips

A race that should turn out to be a proper test in the conditions and having already proven himself many times over when the mud is flying, THIRD WIND (best price 11-2) rates an automatic choice to thrive in this sort of environment better than most.

Winner of four races when the ground has been soft or heavy, the only time he’s been out of the frame under such conditions was when he ran in Grade 1 company last time out at Ascot, so it’s clear Hughie Morrison’s gelding is one of the few guaranteed stayers in the field. Prior to tackling the crème-de-la-crème in the three-mile hurdling division at the Berkshire venue, the son of Shirocco had acquitted himself with distinction with a solid performance in a listed handicap over today’s C&D and a repeat of the same level of form should see him one of the main players on his return to the Merseyside track.

Cyrname is understandably the big headline act in this competitive-looking Grade 1, but he does have a decidedly patchy profile of late with a likes of an exhausted fall in this race last year and an incompletion in the King George next to his name, so at the morning prices, he’s readily passed over in favour of BENNYS KING (best price 7-1).

Although ten, Dan Skelton’s gelding seems to be saving some of his best form for the twilight of his career and with most of his top-quality performances coming over today’s C&D, it’s probably wise to afford him more respect than his position in the market suggests. Runner-up on his first visit to the Berkshire venue last season, the son of Beneficial trounced a good field of handicappers on his second outing this season and although he couldn’t quite follow up that victory here last time out, he did very little wrong in chasing home the aggressively-ridden Dashel Drasher. Likely to be ridden with a view to have nothing to do with the guaranteed early pace set by his old rival, Cyrname and Master Tommytucker, hopefully he can keep in touch and be smuggled into the backend of the race when the pace-setters wilt.

Some useful staying novices from powerful stables face the starter in this Grade 2 affair, but it might well be that one from a smaller yard has a huge say in the argument in the shape of MR HARP (best price 6-1).

Thomas Gallagher’s gelding has improved out of all recognition this season and following two runs when he chased the tail of Albert Bartlett fancy, Barbados Bucks, on ground just on the worse side of good, he’s proved a totally different proposition when the mud has been flying. A smooth winner of a Uttoxeter handicap on heavy ground two starts ago, the eight-year-old was pitched into the deep end of a Pertemps Qualifier on his latest outing at Warwick and if it wasn’t for the late rattle of the well-handicapped and back-to-form Imperial Alcazar, he would have made a real name for himself on the big stage. Interestingly, comparing his overall speed figure and final lap sections to Mint Condition, who finished runner-up in the Grade 2 novices’ hurdle over half a mile shorter on the same card, the son of Court Cave comes out quite favourably, so based on those findings, there’s plenty of mileage in the argument to suggest he doesn’t deserve to be chalked up at almost four times the price as the market leader – especially if you take into account Jennie Candlish hasn’t had a winner for 27 runners and 55 days.