Monday Racing Tips from Andy Holding

LA TULIPE NOIRE (best price 12/1) has showed enough in her two starts to date that she has a fair amount of ability and, with one of those performances coming over today’s track, that valuable knowledge can be put to good use over several of her more illustrious rivals.

Sent off 125/1 on her debut here a month ago, the daughter of Berkshire, as expected, didn’t trouble the judge against many with previous experience, but at the same time, she hinted that she might have a small race in her further down the line.

Sent to Down Royal for her latest encounter, Ciaran Murphy’s filly shaped with a good more encouragement with that initial run under her belt and the way she finished off her race down the outside of the track after being for the early part of the contest bodes well for the future.

Obviously, she will have to improve again up against the likes of Boogie Woogie and Astar, but with a physique to cope with the cope and an extra furlong seen as a help, she rates more than a dangerous floater.

A decent little race for the track and it’s one surely well within range of LORD BADDESLEY (NAP) (best price 11/8) if he can duplicate his effort in the Silver Trophy last time out.

A useful novice a couple of seasons ago, Chris Gordon’s inmate had rather lost his way in the interim, so it was good to see him bounce back to something like his best at the Welsh venue.

Having his first run for 188 days, the son of Doyen was nicely backed beforehand despite facing a competitive-looking and classy field and despite coming up a just a little short in the final analysis, he still justified the money in his direction by staying on well to take second close home.

Although it’s early days, the seventh-placed Proschema suggested the form looks pretty solid with his victory at Wetherby yesterday and with local connections no doubt keen to make amends for the untimely tumble their charge suffered on his last visit to today’s track on his final start last season, the seven-year-old rates a confident choice to do just that hailing from a stable in fine form at present.

This is likely to be a proper slog in the conditions but being as LORD ERSKINE (best price 11/2) eats a mud pie for breakfast, Harry Rogers’ veteran is one of the few in today’s field best place to cope with the task at hand.

Unsurprisingly outpaced over a mile on his first outing for 120 days here a month ago, the nine-year-old turned out to be a totally different proposition over an extra six furlongs at Listowel next time and although he couldn’t quite maintain the winning theme at The Curragh last time out, his performance in finishing fourth in a 22-strong field still has to go down as a creditable one.

Just as effective over today’s trip that over further, the son of Fast Company also has a fine record here at Ballybrit and having finished a solid runner-up to the well-treated Pita Pinta in this race last year, he arrives here in the kind of form that should give him a fighting chance of going one place better.

CIOTOG’s (best price 15/2) latest adventure turned into a bit of a nightmare but if you judged him on his previous C&D victory a month ago, Mark Loughnane’s gelding probably has a better chance of landing today’s prize than his position in the market suggests.

A slow burn since joining new connections, the son of Dandy Man proved the 35k spent on him at the Hit sale last season wasn’t too far off the mark when he sauntered to a cosy success at the Midland venue two starts ago.

Held up off a strong gallop that day, the four-year-old chestnut still had plenty on his plate as the field turned for home, but with a powerful late charge down the centre of the course, he flashed by his 11 rivals in a short space of time to ultimately win with a bit up his sleeve (ran the last two furlongs in 23.9).

Ridden to repeat the dose at Chelmsford last time out, his propensity to pull too hard off a slow pace ultimately cost him any chance of running anywhere near the same level but providing they go a better gallop on his return the Dunstall arena, there’s a decent chance he can bounce back in the right direction.