Thursday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

GAIUS (NAP) (best price 2/1) produced a smart set of figures for a horse of his grade at Sligo last week and with connections keen to strike while the iron is still hot, Noel Kelly’s gelding gains a confident vote to complete his hat trick.

A giant-killer the time before at Punchestown when he toppled the supposedly well-treated favourite Maxxum, the six-year-old was upped in trip for his next encounter in a bid to follow up and, after travelling well throughout, he stayed on in willing fashion in the latter stages to get the job done. Coping well with the different conditions, the son of Leroldesaimaux’s final circuit time was only bettered by the 125-rated Supreme Jet in the opening two-mile contest and considering that achievement took part on the worst ground on the card (final race of six), his performance deserves to be massively upgraded. Clearly in the rudest of health, he would only have to be in a similar frame of mind to go in again.

STREET KID (best price 4/1) doesn’t have the sexy profile of Dhabab, but what he lacks in style, he more than makes up for in substance and, having showed a real likely for an artificial surface in recent times, he’s fancied to put his valuable experience of races of this nature to good use.

A convincing winner in a fast time at Wolverhampton this time last year, the son of Street Boss duly followed up that success on his return to the Midland venue a month later and while it must have been tempting to keep him going throughout the Winter, connections decided to pull the plug.

Returning to action following a 257-day break – which lends itself to the theory he may have suffered a setback – everything seemed in full working order as he ran right up to his best form in a competitive handicap over today’s C&D two months ago and with that knowledge of today’s venue likely not to be lost on Kevin Philippart De Foy’s chestnut, he has a decent chance of going one place better from his favourable inside draw.

BIOWAVEGO (best price 4/1) ran pretty well on his first start in handicap company here last time out and with today’s contest nowhere near the level he faced 34 days ago, Jonjo O’Neill’s gelding is fancied to take advantage of a significant drop in class.

Having qualified for the final of the Fixed Brush Series via a second place finish at the Midland venue back in June, the son of Presenting took his chance in a 12-strong field that included a whole host of in-form novices’ and although he never looked like beating Presentandcounting at any stage (to be fair neither did anything else), he still comes out of the race with great credit.

The way he kept on in the closing stages having no looked like he was going to make the frame was a sign that he could do even better over further in time and with connections soon recognising that theory by stepping him immediately up in trip, the lightly-raced five-year-old rates a strong choice off his current mark.