Andy Holding's Friday Racing Tips

BONNEVAL (best price 7-2) has been in terrific form throughout the summer period and following two deserved back-to-back victories at Newcastle on the all-weather, the hat trick looks a distinct possibility at a track where he has some unfinished business from earlier in the campaign.

Placed on his first three starts this season on Kempton’s all-weather track, James Fanshawe’s gelding was sent to today’s venue in a bid to change his luck and if he hadn’t met for interference at a crucial stage of the race, there’s little doubt he would have prevailed. Gaining his due rewards next time out at the Gosforth Park venue, the four-year-old followed up that impressive victory on the numbers with a game display over the same C&D two months later (forced a dead-heated with Delgrey Boy) and with connections running out of options for him on an all-weather surface, he now reverts back to the turf to see whether he can continue his progression. A soft ground winner at Redcar on just his second start of his career, the son of Siyouni shouldn’t have any problems, therefore, with today’s underfoot terrain and with his style of racing going hand in hand with most of the general demographic of winners over today’s straight track, Bonneval rates a strong choice at the front end of the market.

THE HIGHWAY RAT (NAP) (best price 9-5) can be forgiven for his disappointing effort last time out on account of pulling too hard in the early stages over six-furlongs, but now back over a C&D where he is unbeaten in two starts, Andy Oliver’s gelding is strongly fancied to turn around the form with Harry’s Bar.

Clearly full of beans here two months ago, the son of Dandy Man gave himself absolutely no chance of getting home courtesy of his antics in the first two furlongs of a keenly-contested handicap and, as a result, he trailed in a well-beaten ninth of the 14-strong field. Prior to that backward step, the three-year-old harnessed his energy in a much more efficient manner when running out a comfortable winner over the minimum trip and with the speed figure that day complementing his superiority over the smart pair Lipizzaner and Strong Johnson, it’s pretty clear he can run to a very high standard when his strengths are used to best advantage. Nicely drawn just on the outside of his main market rival, whose best form is arguably over further, The Highway Rat should have a better all-round game than his seven competitors and he should be played accordingly.

One win in 19 starts for BOASTY (best price 5-1) aren’t stats that instantly make you want to go to the hole in the wall and draw out some extra cash, but there’s no doubt he’s edging closer towards breaking his duck at tonight’s track and following an encouraging performance after a 67-day layoff here last time, the four-year-old could be in line to make that all-important breakthrough.

A previous winner on the all-weather when trained in the UK, Fergal Birrane’s gelding has struggled to get established since switching stables, but there have been several performances to suggest he’s not a total lost cause just yet and his last two efforts very much back up that view. Well backed in the build up to his previous outing here back in July, the son of Sir Prancealot may have gone a little closer to justifying the gamble had he not been asked to challenge up the un-favoured inside of the track and a similar scenario developed again last time when once again he got pinned down on the curb inside the final two furlongs. That said, he still ran well in the context of what was a very hot race for the grade based on the figures and having been handed another potentially favourable draw on his return visit, it would be disappointing if he couldn’t make the first four at the very least.