Wednesday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

It’s almost got to the point now it seems inconceivable that a Fontwell meeting can go by without Gary Moore training a winner and the Lower Beeding handler looks to have another outstanding chance of adding to his already impressive tally at the Sussex track with ROYAUME UNI (NAP) (best price 5-4) in today’s feature.

An easy winner at Plumpton earlier on this season, the son of Galileo has had his sights raised significantly since and following solid placed efforts in good quality handicaps at Cheltenham and Kempton, he was pitched into the white-hot heat of the Betfair Hurdle at Newbury last time out. Nibbled at in the pre-race market, the five-year-old held every chance approaching two out, but he couldn’t quite go with the first half-a-dozen from that juncture and he ended up keeping on one pace to finish a respectable eighth. That said, he still managed to beat plenty of in-form and quality rivals such as Boothill, Tritonic and stable companion Fifty Ball (run well yesterday) and with today’s extra yardage looking likely to suit – especially the way he finished off his race 25 days ago – he’s fancied to take advantage of a significant drop in grade.

CATCH MY BREATH (best price 4-1) can be a law unto himself at times, but there’s also no denying he has the ability to win a race of this nature and at the morning prices, he’s worth a small interest to see whether he can make a bigger impact than he did at Southwell last time. 

A horse often blighted by slow starts, as it turned out, the race at the Midland venue four days ago just didn’t pan out in his favour and he was left to make just belated late headway to finish a never-nearer seventh. Prior to that inconspicuous display, John Ryan’s gelding ran much better over today’s C&D when he was seen finishing off his race to good effect behind the well-fancied Hackbridge and based on the speed figure that day, a repeat of something similar should see him there or thereabouts at the death. Obviously, a horse who relies on a pace collapse will need a decent gallop in order to show his true worth, but with Winnetka in today’s line-up, he might just get the sort of race that suits him back at his happy hunting ground. The booking of David Probert also catches the eye. 

It proved an inspired move by connections of POWER ON (best price 13-8) to drop him back to seven furlongs at Lingfield last week and with John Butler’s gelding brought out quickly in order to take advantage of his current wellbeing, he makes plenty of appeal to justify the quick turnaround. 
A winner over 1m2f at Chelmsford last season, the four-year-old had rather struggled in the interim period but, as a result, he’d slipped down to the sort of mark which didn’t go unnoticed with the betting crowd. Last with two furlongs to go at the Surrey venue, the gamble still looked unlikely to be landed, but a powerful surge in the closing stages carried the son of Power passed his seven rivals close home and in the end, he actually scored with a bit up his sleeve. Looking at the figures for that well-run heat seven days ago, they reveal he ran one of the best furlong-per-furlong times on the eight-race card and with the excellent Harry Burns once again booked to the do the steering, the combination rate a formidable duo for the rest of the field to face.