Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

The first-time visor initiated the perfect response from STRONG TEAM (best price 4-1) at Sedgefield last time out and with the speed figure pointing strongly towards the race at the Durham venue being a very good one for the grade, Chris Grant’s gelding can prove his 28-1 success was no fluke.

Sent off one of the outsiders of the 10-strong field 20 days ago, the eight-year-old travelled like he always likely to make a mockery of his SP and once picking up the running from two out, he needed no second invitation to go and seal the seal. Striding out well in the closing stages, the Exceed and Excel gelding ended up winning with a little bit up his sleeve and with his overall time figure and final circuit sectionals working out the best of the five hurdle races on the card, it’s clear that he ran a good deal better than he previous rating of just 79. Only adjusted slightly to 83, he should, therefore, be thoroughly capable of going well again in this similar contest and having already proven his liking for today’s track when runner-up in a much better race back in 2018, he makes plenty of each-way appeal at the morning prices

ZIGGY (NAP) (best price 3-1) had to be considered a slightly unlucky loser at Goodwood last time out and with the soft ground conditions set to suit Harry Eustace’s gelding better than most, he’s strongly fancied to make amends.

Well-backed in the build up to that competitive three-year-old handicap at the Sussex venue two months ago, the son of Sixties Icon was no doubt giving his supporters every reason to be hopeful of collecting as the field worked their way towards the business end of the contest, but just as he was about to deliver his challenge around the two-furlong pole, that’s when things started to go badly wrong. Short of room initially when Scampi leaned to his right, he then had to sit and suffer until a gap appeared down the outside and even though he did his best to try and salvage something from the wreckage, his late rally ended up being all in vain. Hitting the line hard to be a never-nearer fourth, he left the impression he would have gone very close to scooping the pot with a clear run, so with that mind, racing off a similar mark here today has to be recognised as fairly lenient. Moreover, today’s softer ground and stiffer track should play more into his strengths and with the time figure of his previous wide-margin victory at Nottingham strongly suggesting he was a stayer to follow, the lightly-raced gelding is taken to confirm that impression.