Saturday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

HASHTAG LORD (best price 6/1) shaped with loads of promise on his hurdling debut at Navan for Shane Crawford on his only start last season and with the son of Coastal Path seen as just the type to do really well for new connections in the North, today’s assignment can be the beginning of a lucrative career. 

By no means the strongest ever seen at the Co Meath venue, the race in question, however, was run at a decent pace and having got momentarily outpaced on the run down to the last, it was good to see the five-year-old chestnut stay on as strongly as he did on the run-in. in finishing a never-nearer fifth, he offering up plenty of hope for the future and with today’s contest no tougher than the one he faced 242 days ago, this promising type is fancied to make his presence felt. 

A race that will be all about which two-year-old wants in more in the conditions rather than raw ability and two that strike as having the necessary attributes are GREY’S MONUMENT (best price 4/1) and ANCESTRAL LAND (best price 18/1).

Connections of the former probably couldn’t have imagined in their wildest dreams the son of Territories would be contesting a race of this nature after his first four starts, but since being fitted with a blinkers, his performance level have gone through the roof. A stunning victory at Haydock was backed up by the clock and then he duly went and recorded an even bigger number when following up in equally impressive fashion in a much tougher heat at York last time out. Clearly at home in a well-run race on soft ground, today’s test over seven-furlongs will suit him better than most and based on yesterday’s action, being housed in a low stall is no bad thing either.

The latter has plenty to find on the figures having only landed a lowly novice event at Chepstow last time out, but he shaped like the type who belongs in a race of this nature. Despite still racing a little raw at the Welsh track, Clive Cox’s colt impressive with the way he powered his way through the soft ground 44 days ago and although he didn’t post anything off the scale time wise, he still produced a healthy enough set of numbers for the grade. Presumably saved for this ever since, he certainly won’t look out of place in today’s line-up physically, and with the extra furlong he encounters likely to suit, the strapping son of Sioux Nation can easily outrun his odds. 

SOUNDS RUSSIAN (best price 9/2) proved to be a real success story during the winter months last season and with Ruth Jefferson’s star act capturing two nice prizes along the way at today’s track, hope is high he can continue his progress up the ladder on his opening gambit this term.

Runner-up in his first three outings over hurdles, it wasn’t until he was switched to fences where the improvement began and by the time his campaign had ended, he’d won three of his remaining five starts. Although his final race ended in defeat at Ayr, the horse who beat him that day, Dusart, is very highly regarded and has the potential to go right to the top, so under the conditions, it was arguably his best performance in terms of quality. 

What kind of races he will be targeted at throughout the remainder of this season only time will tell, but today’s contest looks an ideal start at a track he knows well and providing fitness isn’t too much of an issue, the son of Sholokhov is expected to be bang there at the business end. 

Easily the most competitive race on the card but it’s one PANIC ATTACK (best price 15/2) should feature heavily in based on the pick of her best form.

Despite being lightly-raced in recent times, when she does rock up on the racecourse she usually runs to a decent standard and with two of her best performances of late coming over today’s track, there seems no obvious reason why that trend wouldn’t continue. Fourth in this race last season, David Pipe’s mare went on to score in game fashion over the New Course towards the end of the campaign and that excellent victory was backed with another sound effort in a competitive heat at Haydock a month later.

Staying on strongly in the latter stages at the Merseyside venue, she gave the impressive that three miles suits her best nowadays and with a record of 12243 when returning to action off a break of 70 days or more, the daughter of Canford Cliffs rates a solid each-way proposition at the morning odds.

BRANDY MCQUEEN (best price 4/1) shaped as though he would be all the better for the run on his most recent outing at Perth a month ago and now returning to the scene of one of his two previous victories, the son of Yeats should be about cherry-ripe for his repeat bid. 

In cracking form last Spring, there was always a chance the five-year-old might struggle to cope with the lack of continuity on his return to action after a 116-day break and although he ran really well to a point, his work in the latter stages very much backed up that initial view. That said, his effort 30 days ago will have served the purpose of kick-starting the competitive juices again and safe in the knowledge today’s C&D and ground offers few fears, he rates a solid choice at the morning odds.