Tuesday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

ENLIGHTEN (NAP) (best price 7-2) ran out a ready winner over today’s C&D two starts ago and even though he failed in his bid to follow up at Newcastle, his speed figure in finishing a creditable second suggests he’s well worth keeping on side on his return to the Durham track. 

A fine third here back in December, the valuable knowledge he gained clearly stood him in good stead when he came back to the sharp, left-handed circuit a month later and it was noticeable how strong he was in the finish that day. Up a grade to Class 4 company last time out, David and Mick Easterby’s gelding was unlucky to bump into a horse who clearly was well-treated off a mark of 117, but with the pair well clear in a slick time figure for a race of its kind, he came out of the race at the Gosforth Park venue was a gold star on his chart. Clearly well-suited by a strongly run two miles, the presence of the likes of Spiritofthenorth and Lou Trek should provide the eight-year-old with the perfect platform for him to run to maximum capacity and at his favourable morning odds, he deserves to be played accordingly.

INVERNESS (best price 12-1) doesn’t quite have the sexy profile of several towards the front end of the market, but he does have a smart speed figure next to his name courtesy of his victory on his final start as a juvenile, so providing he’s somewhere near peak fitness on his return to action, Charles Hills’ colt might just turn out to be the joker in the pack. 

Shaping as though badly in need of the experience on his debut as Newmarket, the son of Highland Reel was a little more prominent in the market for his next outing at Goodwood and in what turned out to be a proper test at the trip, he came through strongly in the closing stages to justify the money in his direction. Checking out the form of the race at the Sussex track, we’ve already seen the likes of Educator, Sea King and Pont Aelius score since and with this son of Highland Reel bred to get middle distances, it’s almost certain he will follow suit at some stage during this campaign. Whether that will come to pass first time out in a race of this nature only time will tell, but either way, this likeable stayer in the making should give a good account at this very least if he’s capable of running somewhere close to the kind of number he produced 224 days ago.