Thursday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

LETHAL ANGEL (NAP) (best price 13/8) proved a total revelation on just her second start for Brett Johnson at Brighton last time out and with her performance highlighted by an eye-popping time figure for the grade, the in-form mare can give similar opposition to those she faced nine days ago another sound beating. 

An overall patchy record for previous connections, the daughter of Lethal Force gave out signals of better times ahead with a decent performance in the first-time visor at Chelmsford but even so, we still weren’t ready for what she delivered at the seaside venue a month later.

Dropping back in trip and given a more patient ride compared to his previous effort, the seven-year-old scampered clear of her rivals inside the final furlongs and in doing so, she ended up posting a career-high figure by some margin.

Obviously, there has to be a small concern she may not produce the same kind of form away from Brighton, but being as she did run well in a Class 4 handicap off a mark of 71 on her last visit over today’s C&D two years ago, confidence is restored that she should easily be able to shrug that slight negative to one side off a 26lb lower rating. 

CRAFT IRISH (best price 11/4) appears to be a filly getting her act together nicely and following a confidence-boosting success at Sligo last time out, Pat Murphy’s inmate is fancied to continue on an upward curve. 

The daughter of Adaay first sprung to prominence with an impressive victory at Dundalk on just her second start and she’s since gone on to add one more to her tally courtesy of her latest effort 23 days ago. Sent off favourite despite being posted out on the wing, she soon worked herself into a decent position whereby she was covering the speed and once quickening up to pick up the running rounding the home turn, she stayed on in game fashion to fend off her nearest pursuers.

Clocking a good time at the Cleveragh venue, it’s been good to see the form work out well with both the third and fifth winning since and with her only disappointing run in her career excused on account of pulling too hard from a terrible draw here back in April, the four-year-old is expected to erase that experience with a more positive display on her second visit to the Dublin venue.

GEORGEVILLE (best price 2/1) is by no means a prolific winner, but he does seem to save all his best form for tonight’s track and arriving here following another solid effort on the figures last time out, Ger Lyons’ gelding can prove a cut above tonight’s opposition. 

In-keeping with his profile, the son of Dawn Approach has shaped as though needing his first two outings of the season, but even accounting for the fact he was still not quite at peak fitness here last time out, he still managed to run close to a career high.

In what turned out to be a very strongly run listed affair, the six-year-old came from some way off the pace to offer the only resistance to comfortable winner Cadillac in the final half a mile and with the form boosted not only by the winner at Royal Ascot but the third home at Killarney the other night, the form looks pretty watertight.

Likely to be dropped out towards the rear again, he will require a little help from Patrick Sarsfield regarding a decnt pace to shoot at, but providing that scenario does come to fruition, he’s going to be very tough to beat.