Andy Holding's Sunday Racing Tips

SMALL PRESENT (best price 5-1) shaped with plenty of encouragement back over hurdles at Market Rasen last time and with today’s conditions likely to ensure there’s more emphasis on stamina, Sue Smith’s gelding is fancied to come into his own when the chips are down towards the business end.

On a roll towards the backend of last season, rattling off a quick hat trick, the son of Presenting was always likely to struggle to keep the continuity going when resuming from a 211-day break and after an inauspicious beginning to his chasing career over today’s course back in October, he still looked in need of match sharpness in his legs at the Lincolnshire venue a month later. Finding the tempo of a well-run affair around a relatively sharp track just getting him on his head for much of the last circuit, he did, however, manage to run in determinedly in the closing stages to finish a never-nearer third to one of today’s main opponents Teescomponents Lad. Without for one minute suggesting you’d have your life on him to turn around the form with his old rival, at least today’s softer ground and stiffer track will suit the six-year-old enough for him to give it his best shot and at the morning odds, he rates as an appealing each-way proposition around the 5-1 mark.

Hob House is bound to attract plenty of attention given his sexy profile, but he looked far from straightforward when winning a bumper on his debut here back in March on good ground (wore a first-time hood), but whether he’ll be so effective over 2m4f under much softer conditions is open to debate and at the morning odds, he’s readily passed over in favour of SAYADAM (best price 9-4).

A well-backed winner of a bumper on his debut at Kelso last season, Kim Bailey’s gelding was strongly fancied to make a winning start over hurdles at Warwick two months later and under what became really testing conditions for the time of year, he ground it out better than his ten opponents to score in the fashion of a dour stayer. Once again popular in the market for his seasonal bow at Uttoxeter, the much quicker conditions were a concern beforehand, and as it turned out, those fears were borne out in the race itself. Despite being handed a huge advantage when his main market rival ran out rounding the home turn, the son of Saint Des Saints didn’t quite have the pace to go with Iontach Cheval when he quickened past him two out, but it was good to see him rally to the cause close home, leaving the impression he’d be much better served by a stiffer examination further down the line. Stepped up to 2m4f in a bid to qualify for the EBF Series Final in March, the four-year-old is fancied to book his ticket.