Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

LAUGH A MINUTE (best price 5-1) hasn’t always been the most straightforward of characters but all seemed well in his world when he scored with plenty in hand at Cork last time out and he’s fancied to put up another bold show despite dropping back in trip.

Formerly trained by Roger Varian in the UK, the son of Mayson has settled nicely into his current environment and it only took him runs before he landed his first race for new connections, a 6f conditions contest at Limerick. Although winless until striking again 23 days ago, the six-year-old has run some fine races in defeat and the one thing he has maintained when conditions have been to his liking, is a high cruising speed. Indeed, that ability to coast in behind a strong pace was never better exemplified than it was at the Co Mallow venue last time out and his turn of foot to scamper away from a high-quality field of sprinters, including Make A Challenge, highlighted just how good he is when on-song. Although he’s probably better over six-furlongs, it’s interesting to see that his shrewd handler is willing to roll the dice with his charge over the minimum trip and with plenty of pace over on the far side with the likes of A Step Too Far and Jungle Jane drawn right next to him in stalls 1 and 3 respectively, Ado McGuinness’ gelding should get the perfect tow down to the business end.

HMS SEAHORSE (best price 2-1) was a shade unlucky to bump into a horse of O’Reilly’s class at Leopardstown last time out, but with nothing of that quality standing in his way here this afternoon, Aidan O’Brien’s colt rates a confident vote to make a winning handicap debut.

Promising in a hot maiden won by Group 1 winner Mac Swinney on his only start at two, the three-year-old chestnut was understandably made a warm order on his seasonal bow at Navan, but as it turned out, soft ground at the Co Meath venue didn’t play into his strengths and he could only finish fifth of the 16-strong field. Well-backed to make it third time lucky 15 days ago, the son of Galileo looked like he was going to gain the day for the majority of the mile contest, but in the end, he just couldn’t get by the very tenacious winner and he had to settle for an honourable second. Disappointing though it may have been at the time, the form of the race has subsequently worked out as such to suggest he ran far better than first feared and having been handed what appears a favourable opening rating of 86 (O’Reilly probably ran to something close to 100 at Cork on Saturday), it would be a bit of shock if he wasn’t going close to taking a race of this nature over a track that should suit his forward-going run style.