Monday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

MEPHISTO (best price 12/1) has still yet to win for current connections, but there have been more encouraging signs of late and arriving here off easily his best performance over hurdles, Gerard Keane’s gelding is fancied to keep pushing in the right direction. 

First and foremost, it was good to see the son of Kendargent walk away from what can only be described as an horrific pile-up at the second last at Cork two starts ago, so to go on and run so well as he did at Down Royal next time is testimony to his fortitude. Secondly, the race at the Co Down venue was a particularly good one as far as the clock is concerned, so even though he ultimately ended up finishing a nine-length fourth to One Cool Poet, his numbers, both overall and final circuit splits, still come out pretty well in the context of today’s contest. On the evidence of both his two performances in handicaps, he doesn’t appear too badly treated and with today’s track and ground likely to prove ideal, the five-year-old is fancied to make some sort of impact at rewarding odds.

BEECHROAD WINNIE (best price 13/2) proved no match for smooth winner Historique Reconce at Tramore last time out, but at least it was another step in the right direction for Philip Rothwell’s mare and a repeat of a similar standard of form should be enough to see her go close to finally breaking her duck. 

Up to her effort at Killarney previously, the daughter of Ask hadn’t really shown too much, but with that initial decent run under her belt, she went on to better that display in a much tougher race at the Waterford venue last time. Noted going as well as the big players coming out of the back straight, she impressed with the way she kept to her task despite not quite having the gears of the eventual winner and considering her conqueror is quite highly regarded at the Willie Mullins yard, her performance deserves extra merit. Moreover, the time of the race came out easily the best of the four hurdle events on the card that evening, suggesting it was a fair heat, and with seemingly no lurkers with a touch of class in today’s opposition, there’s no obvious reason why the improving six-year-old won’t go well again. 

A decent little beginners’ chase in store with several bringing strong hurdle form to the table, none more so than SIT DOWN LUCY (NAP) (best price 11/4), who can also boast of a recent success over today’s course. 

Heading into that competitive environment at the Festival back in late July, Peter Fahey’s mare has several performances against her name to suggest she would go well, but to come out on top in the manner she did had to go down as a big feather in her cap. Not only was her speed figure good 38 days ago, the form has also gone on to be boosted by the likes of Teed Up, Ferdia and Lunar Power and even though connections must have been tempted to continue with her progression over hurdles, it’s probably not a bad time to send her chasing. A scopey mare with a decent cruising speed, she hails from a stable who has seen four of his last five runners triumph, so confidence must be high in the camp if she can jump a clear round on her chase debut. 

STORMEY (best price 14/1) maybe the senior citizen of the party, but it’s not an unfair statement to suggest he brings some of the best recent form to the table, and this regular visitor to Ballybrit can uphold his fine record at the track. 

Although yet to score over fences at his local track, the 12-year-old has faced some pretty stern tests of late and if you go back and look at his run behind Enniskerry and Co in a beginners’ chase at the festival two months ago, he had no right to finish as close as he did against horses who were all rated 30lb or so superior. Since then, that similar trend has continued with the son of Paul Gilligan’s inmate not disgraced behind Fan De Blues and Cape Gentleman at Ballinrobe last time out (finished well clear of 123 and 138 rated horses respectively) and now returning to level where he should prove to be a good deal more competitive, the son of September Storm rates a decent proposition to outrun his morning odds.