Andy Holding's Wednesday Racing Tips

Navan has one of the biggest straight-track biases in Ireland towards the high numbers when the going is on the soft side during the Autumn, so with that in mind, SIESTA BEACH (best price 7-2) has a decent opportunity to press home her seeming superior form lines. 

Promising on debut when just narrowly beaten in a four-way, head-bobbing finish over today’s C&D, Michael O’Callaghan’s filly was sent to Naas in a bid to better that result in a similar maiden next time and although she failed in her attempt to improve her fourth-placed finish previously, she did manage to supersede her original effort on the figures. In what turned out be an extremely strongly-run five-furlong affair, the daughter of Oasis Dream just didn’t have the necessary basic speed of three above-average juveniles at the Co Meath venue, but she did at least keep on well enough in the climb to the line to suggest brighter times might lie further down the line if her sights were slightly lowered. Judged by today’s line-up, that could well turn out to be the case and having gone and bagged the stall closest towards the nearside fence, with most of her main market rivals over on the swamp, only a totally failure to handle soft ground can possible prevent her from going close to shedding the maiden tag.

DAZZLING GLORY (best price 9-4) was heavily involved in quite a hot little novice hurdle at Market Rasen last time out and this previous three-time winner can put her valuable experience to good use with race fitness on her side.

A bumper winner Hexham last season, Dan Skelton’s mare followed up when capturing a maiden hurdle over the same course a month later and it was at that point she was put away out grass. Off for 159 days, the daughter of Califet returned to action at the Lincolnshire venue as one of the main players according to the betting and although she ended up coming up a little short in the final analysis, the speed figure of the race suggested she probably hadn’t run as bad as first feared. Only able to keep on at one pace on the run-in, the six-year-old also shaped as she may need further than two miles to be seen in a better light and having already proven she handles soft ground particularly well, everything looks set fair for a positive show. 

LOVE DREAMS (best price 13-2) had enjoyed a pretty productive season so far to date and another solid run looks on the cards from Michael Blake’s consistent seven-year-old at a track where he’s gone well in the past. 

A strong-finishing third when coming from some way off the pace over tonight’s C&D two starts ago, the Dream Ahead gelding ran a similar race on his latest adventure on his return to the Sunbury venue a month later, staying on stoutly in the closing stages to force a photo with the game front runner, Motawaafeq. Clocking another decent time figure despite his narrow-margin defeat, the form has already begun to work out well with the fourth home, Starry Eyes, winning subsequently, and with a good draw and likely strong pace to suit (Full Intention a confirmed front runner), Love Dreams makes plenty of each-way appeal at his morning odds.