Andy Holding's Thursday Racing Tips

UP FOR PAROL (NAP) (best price 5-4) took no prisoners when making pretty much all the running on his seconds start over hurdles at Wetherby last month and back over another flat, galloping, left-handed track, Jamie Snowden’s gelding can once again prove difficult to peg back.

A winner of an Irish point-to-point last November, you could see why new connections chanced their arm over 2m4f at Doncaster for his rules debut and for a good majority of that initial project, he looked like making a successful opening bid. Fading after the second last on Town Moor, the son of Flemensfirth was dropped back to the minimum trip in order to utilise his natural speed and after setting solid fractions from flag fall, he maintained a relentless gallop throughout. Clocking a smart speed figure at the Yorkshire track, it was also noticeable that he managed to run the last circuit two seconds quicker than the other two-mile hurdle on the card won by the progressive handicapper, Pay The Piper, and with similar conditions in place here this afternoon, it would be slightly disappointing if the likable five-year-old couldn’t turn away this sort of opposition.

BLARNEY BATELEUR (best price 13-2) brushed aside several rather indifferent performances to score in decent style on handicap debut at Market Rasen last time out and while many will be casting aspersions in her direction, that stance might turn out to be unwise.

Having just her second outing for Andy Irvine, the eight-year-old was settled in the rear at the Lincolnshire venue until making headway to chase the leaders from the home turn and maintaining her progress throughout the final half a mile, she ended up picking up the main players after the last to win going away.

At first glance, her effort just appeared an ordinary one, but when you crunch the numbers, they reveal a totally different story. Not only was her overall time figure good (best on the card), her final lap split was a second quicker than the very useful 142-rated Minella Drama over the same C&D and with the form already taking an instant boost courtesy of the second home, Princess Eleanor, winning at Ludlow yesterday (fifth and sixth both finished second next time), she still looks very well treated even off a 9lb higher rating. Moreover, she should prove even more effective on today’s better ground reading her trainer’s post-race quotes from 39 days ago, and with Niall Houlihan balancing out her position just outside the bottom of the handicap, the daughter of Flemensfirth looks a shade underestimated in the market based on all known facts.