Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

LILAC ROAD (best price 7-2) does arrive here following a bruising encounter with Creative Flair at Newbury, but providing she’s suffered no ill effects from that epic battle, William Haggas’ filly looks the one to be with based on pure time figures.

Twice successful over a mile in a seven-race career to date, the daughter of Mastercraftsman was stepped up in trip at the Berkshire venue earlier this month to see whether she’s just as effective over 1m2f and although she ended up getting beaten on the day, she came out answering the question posed with flying colours. In a race run at a proper gallop right from the start, the three-year-old chestnut never once shirked her duties throughout that extremely strongly-run listed contest and in keeping the winner honest all the way to the line, she ended up posting a career-high speed figure by quite some margin. Whether she will still have that race in her legs just 15 days on is anyone’s guess, but it’s a performance, if repeated, should see her go very close here today and it’s also worth noting she has solid all-weather form in the bag courtesy of a victory at Kempton back in April.

MAGNETIC NORTH (best price 15-2) was unlucky to bump into a filly right on top of her game at Ballinrobe the other night, but as that race in question comes out extremely favourably on the speed figures, the son of Born To Sea is afforded another chance to end a fairly long losing run. .

Although he couldn’t quite fend off Fearless Girl at the Co Mayo venue four days ago, his performance still has to go down as one of his better displays in recent times, and there’s more than a fair chance of him being equally competitive in tonight’s contest if running at a similar standard. Unlucky on several occasions last season in big-field handicaps when trained by Sheila Lavery, he’s now dropped to the sort of mark which should easily be exploited by new connections and with his useful apprentice once again set to do the steering, Ado McGuinness’ gelding rates a must for the shortlist.

PASSION AND GLORY (NAP) (best price 9-4) was in sensational winning form according to the numbers he posted at Lingfield last time out and he receives the confident vote to translate that level of form back to the grass.

Disappointing on two starts out in the desert, Saeed Bin Suroor’s gelding was given a 123-day break to overcome those below-par efforts and on the evidence of what we witnessed at the Surrey venue, the pause that refreshes certainly did him no harm. Well-backed to win what looked a tight handicap on paper, the son of Cape Cross always looked like he was going to land the gamble and in the end, he only had to be nudged out in the closing stages to beat his six rivals. Clocking a big speed figure in the process, the five-year-old now has to go and prove he can run to a similar level away from the all-weather surface, but as he has fairly strong form on the grass in the past – including a fine third over today’s course two years ago – there’s every chance he will be capable of repeating the dose.