Tuesday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

SEA OF CHARM (best price 11/2) isn’t by any stretch of the imagination a winning machine, but at the same time, she does nearly always put in a decent shift and following another solid effort on the all-weather last time out, she looks poised to go well again in a race well within her skill set.

Returning to action after a 70-day break, the daughter of Charm Spirit settled nicely in behind the sound fractions that were set at the Dunstall Park track, but just when he the tempo increased, she got trapped in against the inside fence as the main players kicked for home. Although she did her level best to erode some of the lost ground, she could never quite get back at the main two, but it was still an encouraging run considering the speed figure was very good for the grade. Unexposed on turf and versatile regards trip, Harry Dunlop’s filly looks sure to give another solid account.

SCEPTRED ISLE (best price 8/1) has still to win a race in 18 starts, but there has been more encouragement of late on the Flat and if she can translate either of her last two performances back over hurdles, there’s a decent chance David Dunne’s mare run better than her form figures suggest. 

Noted doing some good late work at Bellewstown over 1m4f two starts ago, she was dropped down two furlongs for her latest effort at Navan and although she only managed to beat three horses home, that finishing position only tells half the story. Going as well as anything three out, she was asked to go for a daring run towards the far side rail and as it turned out, that decision ended up backfiring in a big way as she failed to get anything like a clear run. Finishing hard on the bridle, she left the impression she would have had a big say in the final outcome and while it’s sometimes easy to get too carried away with those type of performances, she is clearly one worth noting. Obviously, this will be a tough ask against experienced handicap hurdlers but the ability is certainly there if she can adapt. 

MAGICAL SUNSET (NAP) (best price 7/4) has run pretty well without too much joy in two very competitive sales races recently but with today’s contest qualifying as a big jump down in grade, Richard Hannon’s filly can finish off her season on a high note. 

Very impressive when making a winning debut at Windsor, she was all the rage to maintain her unbeaten record against some established names at Doncaster next time out and although she ran with credit, her performance was slightly below the levels of her initial run. Up against similar opposition at the Curragh last time out, she stayed on with a good deal more purpose in the latter stages than she did previously and if it wasn’t for getting broadsided after a furlong, she may have had some sort of say in the final outcome. Looking at her speed figures, both her run last time and the one she posted at the Berkshire venue back in August put her some way ahead of today’s field and with a return to a quicker surface seen as a plus, the daughter of Kodiac can prove she’s much better than her current rating.

PUNTERS POET (best price 12/1) has been a bit indifferent on his last few starts over fences and hurdles, but he did return to something like his best on the Flat when last seen, so there’s hope he can bounce back to the sort of form that saw him finish third in competitive handicap at Galway this time last year.

After that smart effort, his performance notably dipped and it wasn’t until sparking back into life at Navan two months ago that we saw the true capabilities shine through from the son of Urban Poet. Finishing his race off to really good effect at the Co Meath venue, Matthew Smith’s gelding got without three-quarters-of-a-length of the in-form Swelltime in a very competitive affair and it’s with hope he can now build on that effort and get back to the sort of form that allowed him to capture two handicap hurdles just over a year ago.