Andy Holding's Monday Racing Tips

CHOIX DES ARMES (best price 9-4) seemed to benefit from a drop back in trip at Wetherby last time out and even though reliably wouldn’t necessarily be his middle name, the son of Saint Des Saints is taken to back up his recent victory.

Previously a winner with Paul Nicholls, current connections had to wait quite a while for him to click again but in what turned out to be quite a well-run race under testing conditions at the Yorkshire venue, Alison Hamilton’s gelding proved that he’s still got plenty of ability. Too keen for his own good previously over 2m4f, the 10-year-old gave himself a much better chance of finishing off his race by being a good deal more amenable to restraint 35 days ago and providing Sean Quinlan can get his mount to switch off in a similar fashion here this afternoon, hopefully, there can be a similar outcome at the business end.

EAST STREET (NAP) (best price 3-1) bounced back to form at Haydock last time out after being wiped out early on at Catterick previously and with today’s stiffer track threatening to play more into his strengths, Sue Smith’s gelding is fancied to take a hand in the finish. 

Victorious on his first start over hurdles at Wetherby earlier in the campaign, the six-year-old was well-backed to make a successful handicap debut just up the road two months later but after Sherriff Garrett fell directly in his path at the second hurdle, his chance of justifying his position in the market was pretty much done and dusted. Although he ran perfectly respectably last time out, he left the impression he would be seen in a better light with a stiffer test so with today’s track being the ideal place to test that theory, the son of Mores Wells still remains a really interesting prospect. 

RAYONG (best price 7-1), other than his debut success, hasn’t got a particularly good record following a break but, with the combination of soft ground, his overall record at today’s track and, just as importantly, a potentially favourable draw, Karl Burke’s gelding can offset that slight negative and put up a bold show. 
Looking at the latter of those three positives, the key to virtually all the winners at the opening fixture here last week was the luxury of racing around the inside rail, so if he can break well and get himself into a decent position through the early exchanges, it should at least give him a platform to be competitive late on. Form figures at the Yorkshire venue of 124 also spark an interest in the son of Mayson as does today’s underfoot conditions, so all in all, he makes plenty of sense for a reasonable each-way play at the morning odds.