Sunday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

ANO SYRA (best price 7/1) has been one of the big success stories on the Flat in Ireland this season and with her last two efforts proof she can now mix it in the big league, John Feane’s filly can continue her meteoric rise up the ladder. 

Winner of her first start this campaign off a mark of 73, the daughter of Kodiac amazingly now finds herself on a perch 30lb higher courtesy of a series of massively improved performances and having run extremely well on her first start outside of handicap company over today’s C&D a month ago, she followed it up with an even better display at the Curragh last time. Up against a high class field for the grade, which included three quality three-year-old colts from the UK, she ran way beyond her market expectation in chasing home the smart Go Bears Go and with her time figure in finishing runner-up right up there with some of her best performances on the clock, her impressive rate of improvement shows no sign of stopping. Prior to that top-class effort, she easily came out best of those draw high at the Co Kildare venue up against several who she re-opposes again here this afternoon, so providing her stall position in gate nine doesn’t prove to be too much of a negative (far side of the track has been the place to be in recent times), the three-year-old filly can more than hold her own. 

ANDALEEP (best price 7/1) has been nothing short of a revelation since switching to his new yard and with a back-catalogue of performances at today’s track that makes for pretty enviable reading, Daniel & Clare Kubler’s inmate’s morning odds are not to be sniffed at. 

A three-time winner at the Esher track, his latest spin here saw him only just touched off by the power-packed surge of in-form Pledge Of Honour in a driving finish and since that sterling effort, he’s gone on to land a couple of similar Class 5 handicaps. An easy four-length winner at Windsor two starts ago, the son of Siyouni confirmed his current wellbeing with an even easier success at Beverley last time out and with the numbers from the Yorkshire suggesting he’d run one of his fastest speed figures for some time, he seems to have done well to only escape with just a 5lb hike in the ratings. Obviously, today’s race is going to be a much taller order, but both he and his yard couldn’t arrive here in much better form, so the chance is taken he can rise to the occasion. 

Although SPIRIT OF THE BAY (best price 4/1) has yet to poke her head in front so far this season, some of her efforts in defeat have suggested she keeps taking her game to a new level and with today’s contest representing a clear drop in grade, Clive Cox’s filly can gain due reward for her overall consistency. 

Runner-up three times this season, the latest of those agonising near misses came in a competitive round of the Racing League competition at Doncaster last time, but even though connections would have been initially disappointed at the loss, at least it proved that she stayed 1m2f, which gives here more options going forward. Prior to that sterling effort, she finished a creditable fifth of 20 in a red-hot mile handicap at Royal Ascot and with nothing in today’s field laying claim to have such a performance in their lockers, the daughter of Cable Bay can hopefully stamp her class on proceedings.