Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

DOBRYN (NAP) (best price 9-4) had the misfortune to bump into an above-average novice over today’s C&D last time out, but he still came out of the race with great credit and he’s strongly fancied to press home his advantage of valuable track knowledge over his five rivals.

A winner of a well-run bumper on his debut at Hereford back in the Autumn, Sam Thomas’ gelding managed to add to his tally when scoring on his opening gambit over hurdles three months later and following a 50-day break, he lined up here as a strongly-supported second favourite behind the highly-regarded Qualismart. Settled in mid-division as his main market rival went off like the clappers, the son of No Risk At All looked to be travelling the best on the run for home, but unfortunately he couldn’t quite get to terms with the useful Quinta Do Mar who just got first run on him as the front runner faded from two out. Keeping on stoically all the way to the line, the five-year-old, however, ended up posting in decent speed figure in pulling miles clear of the rest and with the winner going on to run well under a penalty at Market Rasen last week (traded at 1.01 before tiring over 2m3f) a repeat of a similar level of form should prove good enough on his return to the Shropshire venue.

There’s no doubt Shouldering is a potentially smart filly in the making and she’s in the right hands to make the grade, but whether she’s good enough to beat TROLL PENINSULA (best price 13-8) if Roger Varian’s gelding is somewhere near peak fitness is open to question and at the prices, the latter gains the vote.

A promising runner-up to the useful Future King at Newcastle on debut after missing the break, the son of Karkontie was understandably a warm order to win what appeared a modest maiden at Redcar next time out and even though he ended up justifying cramped odds, it wasn’t in the style most punters were expecting. That said, the time figure of the race at the Yorkshire venue was off the scale by the track standards and with the pair pulling well clear of the rest to the tune of seven lengths, his performance carried far more weight than it did when he flashed past the line. Moreover, he appeared he wasn’t totally in love with the soft underfoot conditions on that bleak late Autumn afternoon and with a pedigree that very much says he will be a totally different proposition back on an all-weather surface, the promising three-year-old will hopefully get his campaign off to the best possible start.

IS THAT LOVE (best price 5-1) produced a pretty smart effort for a 46-rated horse based on the clock here last week and he can strike again while the iron is hot despite dropping back down in trip.

Unlucky the time before when almost put through the rail when challenging strongly at the two-furlong pole, Ado McGuinness’ gelding was rather underestimated in the market to turn around the form with Pride Of Pimlico but, as it turned out, he ended up having the last laugh by winning with a bit to spare. Picking up the running travelling well at the same point where disaster struck two weeks earlier, this time the son of Es Que Love showed the necessary turn of foot to pull away from his rivals, and despite drifting alarmingly to the far side rail inside the final furlongs, he had matters firmly under control. Only just slower than the 93-rated conditions race winner, To Glory, half an hour earlier, the four-year-old is clearly in sparkling form based on those sort of numbers and despite stall 12 not being the box you’d pick if you had a choice, he still should have enough game to overcome that impost and go close to following up.