Sunday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

A cracking renewal of this traditional curtain raiser of the jumps season at Aintree and there’s no doubt Hitman sets the standard courtesy of all his solid efforts in some of the best Grade 1 chases in the calendar. However, he does face some potentially smart novices coming through the ranks from last season such as Do Your Job, Millers Bank and SOLDIER OF DESTINY (best price 9/1), and although the former is the more established of the named trio, it’s the latter who gains the vote on account of his price. 

A former point winner, it was only until he has his wind corrected that we saw his true colours shine through and it was at Ffos Las last February when the new version of him first began to show what he was all about. Jumping and travelling well from the start at the Welsh track, the son of Presenting dished out a beating to some usual novices and with the time figure speaking favourable of his performance, it was good to see the form work out well subsequently. 

Exhibiting similar verve at Newbury next time, it was only the three-mile trip and a bad mistake at the last that prevented him from following up but he was soon back on track over his optimum distance when he made all the running at Haydock on what turned out to be his final start of the campaign. Trained with this prize in mind ever since, he comes from a stable that have made a bright start to the season (43% strike rate) and with the early morning rain around likely to be less of an inconvenience to him than some others, Jamie Snowden’s gelding can prove he belongs at this level. 

6/1 the field tells you all you need to know about tricky this valuable staying prize, but with the conditions likely to be pretty testing, DARRENS HOPE (best price 10/1) is offered up as the one who could prove the answer to the puzzle. 

Although he’s only managed to score once in 13 starts since switching his attentions to fences, he’s by and large always run up to a decent standard and that view is backed up on account of his performances up against the likes of Concertista and Lifetime Ambition in Graded races last season. Additionally, he has a fine record at today’s demanding circuit and then when you add into the mix his record on soft or heavy ground that reads 223332, the combination of those two factors point heavily in the direction of him running up to his best here this afternoon.

MYMOMENTINTIME (NAP) (best price 3/1) absolutely blitzed his field over today’s C&D 10 days ago and even though the assessor has desperately tried to resurrect the damage, even his new calculations are set to be in tatters once again. 

Well-fancied according to connections on his previous start at Cork, the son of Kantharos failed in his bid to justify stable confidence over six-furlongs, but the combination of soft ground and a furlong less saw him in a totally different light at the Co Kildare venue next time. 

Jumping out smartly from the gates, the three-year-old soon travelled extremely strongly just in behind the speed and then once let of the leash inside the final two furlongs, he bounding clear for an easy success. Indeed, if you take away the runner-up, Swift Flight, who was the horse to offer any sort of resistance to him in the latter stages, he would have beaten a competitive field by miles and when you consider how much he was eased down close home, the punishment could have been greatened. 

A big, strong type who looks to be just coming to hand on the evidence of his latest exploits, Susan Finn’s colt can provide championship-chasing Billy Lee with another vital winner.