Monday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

There’s been a lot of chat around about how Nicky Henderson’s team have been performing in the build-up to the Cheltenham Festival, but it’s worth noting the Seven Barrows handler has had three winners in the last few days – suggesting he hasn’t totally gone at the game – and he master trainer can get another tonic on the eve of the great meeting courtesy of PROGRESSIVE (best price 7-2) in this staying handicap.

Disappointing over hurdles last time, it’s better to judge her on her two previous efforts on the all-weather and with one of those two excellent displays coming over tonight’s C&D, confidence is high she can repeat the dose. Although only facing three opponents at the Midland venue, the pace was reasonable throughout and once the daughter of Nathanial found top gear in the latter stages, she showed a sufficient change of gear to overhaul the well-fancied Chipiron in the latter stages. Moreover, her final circuit time of 1.37.6 comes out pretty well when analysing the data of most 1m4f races at the track during this winter and with her unexposed profile suggesting there could be more improvement to come, she makes plenty of appeal at the morning odds.

DUNDORY (best price 4-1) was doing his best work at the finish in what turned out to be an unsatisfactory race over today’s C&D last time out, but in anticipation of a much stronger gallop on his return to the Dunstall Park venue, John O’Shea’s gelding can regain the winning thread.

Just touched off by It’s A Love Thing here the time before, the son of Holy Roman Emperor was well backed to go one better 19 days later, but after being held up out the back due to a wide draw, he could never really land a low in a tactical affair. The way he hit the line, however, strongly hinted he would have been a more potent force with a better rub of the green and with the first-time cheekpieces seen as a positive move by connections (gives the impression he needs a little motivating at times), the six-year-old holds solid each-way claims.